New research contradicts the widespread notion that seniors are inclined to disengage from major social obligations as they age.

Instead, the study from the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College finds that older Americans are “highly engaged” in societal obligations and responsibilities. Moreover, the research indicates that their well-being is directly linked to the level of engagement in these areas.

Measured in the Sloan research were the levels of engagement in caregiving, education and training, paid work, and volunteering. among three groups of adults: those under age 50, those aged 50 to 64, and those 65 and older.

The Sloan Center said this was the first research of its kind to examine not only the involvement in these various activities, but also to measure the degree of involvement.

The research found that in three out of four categories — paid work, education and volunteering — adults over 50, on average, are engaged to a greater extent than their peers under age 50. Only in the area of caregiving did the adults under 50 report greater levels of engagement. Moreover, the study found that well-being among older participants in the study appears to be much higher among those engaged in these activities.

About 850 people completed the survey, the Sloan Center said.

Older adults who said they were involved in only one of these four activities, but not fully engaged, had well-being scores no higher than seniors who were not involved at all. But those reporting high, or even moderate, levels of engagement showed high levels of well-being. This difference was widest in the 65-and-older group. This suggested that the quality of one’s experience with paid work, caregiving, education, and volunteering likely is particularly consequential for people in their later years.

Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, director of the Sloan Center on Aging & Work, said: “Growing old in the 21st century is not what it was in the 20th. As life expectancy continues to increase, older adults are healthier and more active than in the past. Yet many people cling to the notion that older adults are disengaged. The results of this study show the opposite to be true.”

I have a friend in his late 60s who is either on the board or chairman of five different volunteer organizations.

Critically, the study’s findings indicate that the encouragement of older citizens to stay involved in activities is not always enough to enhance their well-being, the report said. Instead, society must find ways for older folks not only to stay involved, but also to remain highly engaged in them.

The key objective of the study was to determine whether or not we could move beyond the idea that old age was a “roleless role.” And how it is possible to overcome outdated and mostly negative perceptions of growing old.

The question is: How can we go beyond aging as solely taking steps to avoid disease and disability, maintain mental and physical function and continue engagement with life? The Sloan report said: “[C]ritics suggest that value labels such as healthy and productive aging imply there is a best way and only way to age well and that people who develop a debilitating disease are unsuccessful.”

Some worry that efforts to get elder citizens to be more productive will undermine social programs such as Social Security and Medicare…To date, there has been limited attention focused on the social and structural changes needed to facilitate ‘success’ or ‘productivity’ for seniors.

“If we are to promote productive aging, there is a need for enlarged public and private-sector responsibility. We believe it is a critical time to develop major initiatives of this type.”

As the Sloan study shows, the oldest seniors are often those most engaged in societal activities. Even if a senior is disabled or dependent on help from a government program, he or she can still stay engaged in a variety of social activities and thereby enhance his or her well-being. I can testify to this myself.

Tait Trussell is an old guy and fourth-generation professional journalist who writes extensively about aging issues among a myriad of diverse topics.

Meet Tait