Curiosity in Later Life: Identifying Psychosocial Predictors Using Random Forest Modeling

Curiosity supports adaptive cognitive and psychological functioning across the lifespan, yet prior research suggests that some dimensions of curiosity decline with age, and little is known about the psychosocial and lifestyle factors that are associated with higher curiosity in later life. This study investigated age-related differences in joyous exploration (JE) and identified key correlates of high JE among older adults. Data were drawn from the 2018 Ageing as Future study (N = 435; age 19–89). JE levels were compared between younger (<60 years) and older (≥60 years) adults using both linear regression and independent samples t-tests. To identify correlates of high JE in later life, Random Forest (RF) classification models were applied within the ≥60 cohort using stratified train-test splits and repeated cross-validation. Older adults reported significantly less JE than younger adults (p < 0.001, d = 0.52). Across multiple model specifications and sensitivity analysis, high JE in older adults was consistently associated with leisure-time hobbies, engagement in interests outside work, meaning- and purpose-related factors, generativity, select future-oriented beliefs, and social embeddedness. These findings suggest that JE in later life tends to co-exist with emotionally meaningful, socially connected activities and offers valuable insights for geriatric interventions that promote healthy aging.