Life expectancy is rising fast and the end of this trend is not yet in sight. Many people wonder to what extent the years that we have gained are enjoyable, since our health deteriorates as we get older. However, research shows that older people are more satisfied with their lives than is often believed, even when they experience health issues. In his PhD dissertation ‘Maintaining life satisfaction at old age in the face of physical decline’, Thomas Puvill researches the drivers of life satisfaction at old age and searching for answers to questions like: which factors separate older people with a low from older people with a high life satisfaction? And how do older people maintain their high life satisfaction despite physical decline?
Thomas will defend his dissertation on Tuesday 6 June at 10:00 AM in the Academiegebouw, Rapenburg 67-73 in Leiden, The Netherlands. Supervisors are Professor Rudi Westendorp (Copenhagen University) and Professor Joris Slaets (Leyden Academy). The dissertation is free to the public, registration in advance is not necessary. For more information, please visit the Leiden University website.