Research in health psychology has increasingly highlighted the pivotal role that executive functions play in human health and wellbeing. Executive functions, including inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility, planning, and decision-making, are essential cognitive processes associated primarily with activity in the prefrontal cortex. Recent studies have demonstrated that robust executive functioning correlates with improved emotional regulation, greater adherence to medical treatments, effective stress management, and healthier lifestyle choices. Conversely, deficits in these functions are linked to a range of physical and mental health issues, such as ADHD, mood disorders, addiction, and age-related cognitive decline. Despite advances in neuroimaging and psychological interventions targeting frontoparietal networks, critical questions remain about how these skills can be leveraged for broader health promotion and disease prevention, particularly across diverse age groups and sociocultural contexts.
This Research Topic aims to deepen our understanding of how executive functions influence health outcomes and psychological wellbeing throughout the human lifespan. The objective is to clarify the specific roles played by cognitive components—such as working memory, behavioral inhibition, and cognitive flexibility—in managing stress, regulating emotions, supporting healthy habits, and adhering to medical and psychological care. By addressing how variations in executive functioning can serve as risk or protective factors for chronic diseases, unhealthy behaviors, and mental health challenges, this Research Topic seeks to identify actionable links that inform comprehensive, evidence-based health interventions. Furthermore, it will evaluate the effectiveness of neuropsychological and cognitive stimulation programs aimed at strengthening executive functions, thereby providing tangible strategies for both prevention and therapy.
The scope of this Research Topic encompasses descriptive, correlational, and explanatory investigations into the interplay between executive functions and a range of health outcomes within adolescent, adult, and older populations. It will include cognitive processes such as inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, as well as physical and mental health measures - like emotional regulation, adherence to medical recommendations, quality of life, and psychological symptoms. While studies using standardized neuropsychological assessments and validated clinical scales are encouraged, research integrating neurobiological or neuroimaging findings is also welcome. Absolute causality is not the focus; rather, submissions should illuminate significant associations or mechanisms by which executive functions modulate health and wellbeing.
To contribute to strategies for health promotion and disease prevention, we invite articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- The relationship between executive functions and emotional regulation in health psychology - The impact of executive functions on the management of chronic diseases - Executive functioning as a predictor of adherence to medical or therapeutic regimens - Neuroscientific and neuropsychological interventions to enhance executive skills and health outcomes - The role of cognitive flexibility in lifestyle choices and risk-taking behaviors - Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies examining executive function development and health across the lifespan - Culturally sensitive approaches to executive functioning and wellbeing
We welcome original research articles, systematic or narrative reviews, brief reports, meta-analyses, and theoretical perspectives.
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Brief Research Report
Case Report
Clinical Trial
Community Case Study
Conceptual Analysis
Data Report
Editorial
FAIR² Data
FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.
Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
