New report: The Wisdom Panel Wave 4 – Life Stages, Life Partners and Well-being
The study follows a nationally representative group of older Swedes to understand how well-being evolves as finances, health, relationships, and life circumstances change over time.
A key finding in Wave 4 is that well-being is not only individual, but deeply shared between life partners. A majority of participants perceive their own well-being as closely aligned with their partner’s, and those with a partner report significantly higher well-being than those without. This suggests that well-being is shaped both by who we choose and how we influence each other over time.
The report also highlights the importance of how we look at life. Across all age groups, participants tend to focus more on the future than the past, although this tendency declines with age. At the same time, both a future-oriented outlook and perceived energy are strongly associated with well-being—indicating that how we feel about what lies ahead matters greatly for how we feel overall.
Another central insight is that life after retirement is not experienced as a single phase, but as a series of stages. A majority of participants report being in a different life stage compared to five years ago, and on average, people perceive around three distinct stages after retirement. These stages—ranging from freedom and harmony to old age and nearing the end—reflect a dynamic and evolving experience of later life.
Finally, the report explores participants’ understanding of wisdom, most often described as life experience combined with the ability to apply, share, and pass on knowledge. This highlights how accumulated experience not only shapes well-being, but also how people make sense of their lives over time.
This fourth wave continues the panel’s mission to follow how well-being evolves over time—and what we can learn from people with long life experience.
