Recalling youth: Control over reminiscence bump events predicts life satisfaction in midlife

The reminiscence bump phenomenon is well established: adults in the second half of life remember more events from their youth than from other periods. Almost no research has focused, however, on the adaptive value of the reminiscence bump for adult well-being. Grounded in a life story approach, this research examined whether perceiving that one had control over events from the bump period (compared with other past periods and also one's present life) was related to current life satisfaction. We also investigated whether chronological age moderated these associations. Participants (N = 470; 49-90 years; 59% women) were part of the European Study on Adult Well-being. They briefly reported up to 15 personally significant events from across their entire life. They indicated age at occurrence and rated their perceived control for each reported event. Well-being was assessed with a standard measure of current life satisfaction. Perceived control over the present and covariates including memory valence and current circumstances (i.e., financial security, social living arrangement, number of medications, and mental health) were also measured. Findings indicate that greater perceived control over reminiscence bump events, but not other past events, predicted current life satisfaction in adults in late midlife (i.e., ages 49-60). In contrast, greater present-focused perceived control was associated with life satisfaction in those 62 years and older. The findings are discussed in the context of the life story account of the reminiscence bump. Understanding the adaptive value of recalling one's personal past may require attention to individuals' current life phase. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).