(In)congruence effect of chronological age and subjective age on older adults’ cognitive functioning: the moderating role of social participation and cross-cultural comparisons

BACKGROUND: Chronological age and subjective age independently predict cognitive functioning, but their nonlinear interplay and the role of social participation remain less understood, particularly across cultures. This study aimed to investigate the (in)congruence effect of chronological and subjective age on cognitive functioning in older adults, to examine the moderating role of social participation in these associations, and to explore potential cultural differences. METHODS: Longitudinal data from China (N = 4,314) and the US (N = 2,097) were analyzed using polynomial regression and moderated response surface analysis. RESULTS: In both samples, individuals with congruently older chronological-subjective age (i.e., both chronological and subjective age were high) exhibited poorer cognitive outcomes. Under incongruence, cognitive functioning varied systematically depending on the relative discrepancy between chronological and subjective age, such that better outcomes were observed when chronological age was lower than subjective age compared to the opposite condition. In the Chinese sample, relatively younger subjective age was associated with more favorable cognitive outcomes, particularly among individuals with higher chronological age, whereas this pattern was not observed in the US sample. Moreover, social participation in the Chinese sample attenuated the negative congruence effect associated with older chronological-subjective age. It further altered the incongruence effect, such that a localized advantage of relatively younger subjective age was observed under low social participation, whereas no clear advantage was observed under high social participation, which was characterized by more complex nonlinear patterns. In contrast, no moderating effect of social participation was found in the US sample. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide novel evidence for the interactive effects of objective and subjective age, psychosocial resources, and cultural context on cognitive aging, highlighting the potential importance of age perceptions and social participation in cognitive aging.