The growing body of gerontological research examining the correlates of life satisfaction indicates that physical health is its strongest correlate. Within this framework, the relationship between satisfaction and health among 29 institutionalized subjects was investigated through a longitudinal study. Unlike previous studies, objective measures of health were supplemented with subjective estimates. Unexpectedly, strong independence between satisfaction and objective estimates of health was found. The well-documented correlation between subjective estimates of health and life satisfaction suggests a larger attitudinal orientation toward life rather than an actual interaction between biology and psychology. There is a need for future studies supplementing subjective estimates with objective measures of satisfaction and health, as well as future studies employing a longitudinal design. (Author)