The study “Mindfulness: Age and Gender differences on a Bosnian sample” found a

significant difference between mindfulness levels of young adults and that of older
adults, with the latter showings signs of being higher on aspect of mindfulness than
the former. This could be due to the fact that older adults are able to be more
present “here and now”, because they are not interrupted by intensity of their
emotions. Savouring is another psychological construct that can be used to explain
mindfulness because older adults have greater tendency to savour the moment,
control emotions, and remain focussed on the present, they tend to be more mindful,
which can be one of the explanations for the results.

In another research, females reported higher levels of mindfulness than males,

though males demonstrated a stronger mediating relationship between mindfulness
and happiness. In addition, higher levels of mindfulness were reported by older
individuals; however, young adults manifested the strongest negative relationship
between mindfulness and depression across the lifespan.

Mindful individuals are less encumbered by the mere exposure of a stressor which
benefits health functioning. Mindfulness cultivates cognitive and emotional skills
which is especially important when stressful life events may lead to the depletion of
resources (e.g. social, cognitive, and financial). Less mindful individuals may be
more prone to the negative effects of stressors. Mindful individuals are less likely to
form habits of negative thinking or rumination which tend to increase distress (Epel
et al., 2009), indicating that when exposed to stressors these individuals regulate
their attention to the present moment which functions to optimize emotional well-
being.

References
Alispahic, S., & Hasanbegovic-Anic, E. (2017). Mindfulness: Age and gender
differences on a Bosnian sample. Psychological Thought, 10(1).

Cindy M. de Frias & Erum Whyne (2015) Stress on health-related quality of life in
older adults: the protective nature of mindfulness, Aging & Mental Health, 19:3, 201-
206, DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2014.924090

Sturgess, M. A. (2012). Psychometric validation and demographic differences in two

recently developed trait mindfulness measures (Unpublished master’s thesis,
Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand).