Tai Chi linked to higher well-being in Chinese older adults
Weekly Tai Chi practitioners scored 0.33 standard deviations higher on well-being than non-exercisers in an adjusted analysis.
Paper by Binghua Shao, xinjie Zhou, Jingtao Du et al.
Limit: Higher well-being could encourage Tai Chi practice rather than result from it
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In a cross-sectional observational study, researchers analyzed data from 15,874 older adults in China, including 321 who practiced Tai Chi at least weekly. Using the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, they compared Tai Chi practitioners with people doing other moderate exercise or no exercise. They assessed anxiety and well-being, using a six-item combined score for well-being.
After adjustment, Tai Chi practitioners had higher well-being scores than non-exercisers. The planned analysis found no evidence of an anxiety-score difference from non-exercisers. Tai Chi showed no advantage over other moderate exercise, including square dancing and garden work. An analysis of participants followed from 2014 to 2018 also linked Tai Chi to higher well-being.
Why it matters
The authors interpreted “serenity” as cultivating positive feelings rather than suppressing anxiety, distinguishing two aspects of mental health in later life.
Caveats
The main analysis measured activity and mental health at one time, so it cannot establish cause and effect. The findings concern older adults in China.
The paper
Binghua Shao, xinjie Zhou, Jingtao Du et al.
Frontiers in Psychology, Oct 30, 2026, CC BY, Accepted, not yet published
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