Exploring the Role of Mobility and Personality for Healthy Aging

Abstract

Both mobility and personality are key determinants of healthy aging. However, these two constructs have barely been explored in combination, although mobility and personality effects on healthy aging are expected to not be independent from another. This chapter aims at combining both perspectives and setting a foundation to foster future research, jointly investigating personality and mobility effects on healthy aging. Therefore, the chapter suggests to decompose mobility in the two components motility (i.e., the movement potential) and movement (i.e., the actual manifested mobility). This decomposition allows to draw parallels to the commonly used distinction between personality traits and states. While motility and personality traits refer to the temporally stable underlying dispositions of an individual, movement and personality states conceptualize the day-by-day manifestation of the respective construct. Drawing upon the parallels regarding the distinct levels of analysis in both domains, a conceptual model is proposed that links the individual components with healthy aging. The individual links are discussed using relevant empirical research and theories and hypothesizing potential causal pathways between mobility, personality and healthy aging.