TY  - JOUR
AU  - Hatt, Cassandra R.
AU  - Eakman, Aaron M.
AU  - Bielak, Allison A. M.
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/09
TI  - Does Meaning Matter? Associations Between Engagement in Meaningful Activities, Leisure Activity, and Cognition in Adults
JO  - OBM Geriatrics
SP  - 339
VL  - 10
IS  - 02
AB  - Multiple theories from the psychological and occupational therapy sciences suggest that there may be reciprocity between activity selection and the meanings we draw from them. As such, meaningfulness may be an important contextual mechanism through which activity engagement positively influences cognition, but no research has examined these links in healthy middle-aged and older adults. This study examined the predictive ordering of the associations between activity engagement, meaningfulness, and cognition. Eighty-one individuals aged 41-94 years old completed questionnaires on activity participation, engagement in meaningful activities, and a range of cognitive tests. Structural equation modeling controlling for age and education was used to test multiple mediation pathways linking activity and meaningfulness to cognition. There was a significant positive direct effect of meaningfulness on activity, where individuals who had higher ratings of meaningfulness also engaged more frequently in activity. However, neither activity nor meaningfulness significantly mediated the pathway to cognition, and direct effects between activity engagement with cognition and meaningfulness with cognition were unexpectedly not significant. Correlational results showed the strongest connection occurred between social activity and meaningfulness, highlighting domain specific effects, and suggesting that social health, a key part of successful aging, is linked to the perceived value of an activity. It remains possible that the links between activity, meaningfulness, and cognition may exist longitudinally or at the daily level.
SN  - 2638-1311
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.geriatr.2602339
DO  - 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2602339
ID  - Hatt2026
ER  -