Workplace Prosocial Activities and Daily Well-Being During COVID-19

Abstract Theories of age and emotional wellbeing posit that older age is associated with better affective well-being through avoidance or minimization of distressing experiences and prioritizing positive experiences and emotions. To test these theories, researchers have examined change in affect (i.e., reactivity) associated with negative interpersonal experiences in daily diary studies, given the compromising effects these interpersonal stressors exert on daily affect. In contrast, age differences in the potential affect-enhancing effects of positive interpersonal experiences have been comparatively neglected. Using the second wave of the National Study of Daily Experiences, we evaluated age differences in the frequency of daily negative and positive interpersonal interactions, as well as the affective responses to these interpersonal interactions. Positive and negative affect, as well as negative and positive interpersonal interactions were assessed on eight consecutive evenings. Analyses included 818 participants (Mage=53.3, SD=11.8, Range=34-83; 60% female) who experienced both negative and positive interpersonal interactions during the 8-day protocol. Preliminary results revealed increased frequency of negative interpersonal interactions and decreased frequency of positive interpersonal interactions with age (ps<.01). Further, negative interpersonal interactions were associated with increases in negative affect and decreases in positive affect (ps<.01), while positive interpersonal interactions were associated only with increased positive affect (p<.01). Finally, modest evidence of age-related reductions in the affective impact of negative, but not positive, interpersonal interactions emerged (p=.03). Discussion will focus on how studies of interpersonal interactions in daily life can inform theories of aging and promote emotional wellbeing throughout adulthood and later life.

Download Full-text

More Than Just Sex

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin ◽

10.1177/0146167216684124 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 43 (3) ◽

pp. 287-299 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Anik Debrot ◽

Nathalie Meuwly ◽

Amy Muise ◽

Emily A. Impett ◽

Dominik Schoebi

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Daily Life ◽

Experience Sampling ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Dual Earner

Positive interpersonal interactions such as affection are central to well-being. Sex is associated with greater individual well-being, but little is known about why this occurs. We predicted that experienced affection would account for the association between sex and well-being. Cross-sectional results indicated that affection mediated the association between sex and both life satisfaction (Study 1) and positive emotions (however, among men only in Study 2). In Study 3, an experience sampling study with 106 dual-earner couples with children, affection mediated the association between sex and increased positive affect in daily life. Cross-lagged analyses in Study 3 to 4 supported the predicted direction of the associations. Moreover, the strength of the daily association between sex and positive affect predicted both partners’ relationship satisfaction 6 months later. Our findings underscore the importance of affection and positive affect for understanding how sex promotes well-being and has long-term relational benefits.

Download Full-text

Enacted Extraversion as a Well-Being Enhancing Strategy in Everyday Life

10.31234/osf.io/hbtmd ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Zack van Allen ◽

Deanna Walker ◽

Tamir Streiner ◽

John M. Zelenski

Keyword(s):

Positive Affect ◽

Everyday Life ◽

Observational Data ◽

Strong Evidence ◽

Daily Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Control Task ◽

Post Test ◽

The Moment ◽

And Control

Lab-based experiments and observational data have consistently shown that extraverted behavior is associated with elevated levels of positive affect. This association typically holds regardless of one’s dispositional level of trait extraversion, and individuals who enact extraverted behaviors in laboratory settings do not demonstrate costs associated with acting counter-dispositionally. Inspired by these findings, we sought to test the efficacy of week-long ‘enacted extraversion’ interventions. In three studies, participants engaged in fifteen minutes of assigned behaviors in their daily life for five consecutive days. Studies 1 and 2 compared the effect of adding more introverted or extraverted behavior (or a control task). Study 3 compared the effect of adding social extraverted behavior or non-social extraverted behavior (or a control task). We assessed positive affect and several indicators of well-being during pretest (day 1) and post-test (day 7), as well as ‘in-the-moment’ (days 2-6). Participants who engaged in extraverted behavior reported greater levels of positive affect ‘in-the-moment’ when compared to introverted and control behaviors. We did not observe strong evidence to suggest that this effect was more pronounced for dispositional extraverts. The current research explores the effects of extraverted behavior on other indicators of well-being and examines the effectiveness of acting extraverted (both socially and non-socially) as a well-being strategy.

Download Full-text

The age and subjective well-being paradox revisited:A multidimensional perspective

Norsk Epidemiologi ◽

10.5324/nje.v22i2.1565 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Thomas Hansen ◽

Britt Slagsvold

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Age Differences ◽

Well Being ◽

Older Age ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Life Domains ◽

Age Variations ◽

Young Old

This study re-examines the much-discussed paradox that although aging is associated with declines in many life domains, overall subjective well-being does not appear to decline sharply with age. We use data from two waves of the Norwegian NorLAG study (age 40-85, n=3,750) and examine age differences in change in well-being outcomes (life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and depression) and factors that may account for age variations in such change. Outcomes show stability well into older age, but negative changes in advanced age, cross-sectionally or longitudinally. Life satisfaction and negative affect are adversely related to older age longitudinally, whereas positive affect and depression are adversely related to older age in the cross-section. Results are similar for men and women. Loss of health and partner are the main causes of declining well-being in older age. Findings suggest qualifications to the “well-being paradox”, e.g.: only some dimensions of SWB remain stable, while others decline; across dimensions SWB change is more negative in old-old than in young-old age.

Download Full-text

Underemployment and Well-Being: Exploring the Dark Side of Meaningful Work

Journal of Career Development ◽

10.1177/0894845318819861 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 111-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Blake A. Allan ◽

Julia R. Rolniak ◽

Lauren Bouchard

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Meaningful Work ◽

Well Being ◽

Dark Side ◽

Unexpected Finding ◽

Positive Relation ◽

Negative Relation ◽

Working Adults

The goals of this study were to examine the relations between underemployment, meaningful work, and well-being and evaluate whether the relation between underemployment and well-being was moderated by meaningful work. In a diverse sample of working adults, meaningful work significantly moderated the relation between underemployment and positive affect, negative affect, depression, and stress. However, contrary to expectations, having meaningful work did not protect against the negative relation between underemployment and well-being. Rather, having meaningful work was associated with a positive relation between underemployment and negative affect, stress, and depression. Additionally, people low in meaningful work had a positive relation between underemployment and positive affect. This unexpected finding may point to a potential “dark side” of meaningful work. Specifically, people with meaningful work who are unable to fully employ their skills and abilities may be at particular risk for poorer well-being.

Download Full-text

A Daily Activities List and its Relation to Measures of Adjustment and Early Environment

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1971.28.3.691 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 691-699 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

James D. Stanfiel ◽

William G. Tompkins ◽

Harriet L. Brown

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Daily Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Activity Level ◽

Self Report ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Developmental History ◽

Early Environment ◽

Report Measure

The Daily Activities List (DAL), a self-report measure developed for a study of cancer patients, contains items denoting ordinary behavior of daily life such as work and recreation. Correlations were obtained for DAL activity level with indices of current emotional well-being and certain factors of developmental history. More active Ss (high scorers on DAL) tended to manifest less anxiety and other kinds of psychological distress and received more favorable ratings of early environment. Reliability data are presented and issues of validity and conceptual interpretation ate discussed.

Download Full-text

Enacted Extraversion as a Well-Being Enhancing Strategy in Everyday Life: Testing Across Three, Week-Long Interventions

Collabra Psychology ◽

10.1525/collabra.29931 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zack M. van Allen ◽

Deanna L. Walker ◽

Tamir Streiner ◽

John M. Zelenski

Keyword(s):

Positive Affect ◽

Everyday Life ◽

Strong Evidence ◽

Daily Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Life Testing ◽

Control Task ◽

Post Test ◽

The Moment ◽

And Control

Lab-based experiments and observational data have consistently shown that extraverted behavior is associated with elevated levels of positive affect. This association typically holds regardless of one’s dispositional level of trait extraversion, and individuals who enact extraverted behaviors in laboratory settings do not demonstrate costs associated with acting counter-dispositionally. Inspired by these findings, we sought to test the efficacy of week-long ‘enacted extraversion’ interventions. In three studies, participants engaged in fifteen minutes of assigned behaviors in their daily life for five consecutive days. Studies 1 and 2 compared the effect of adding more introverted or extraverted behavior (or a control task). Study 3 compared the effect of adding social extraverted behavior or non-social extraverted behavior (or a control task). We assessed positive affect and several indicators of well-being during pretest (day 1) and post-test (day 7), as well as ‘in-the-moment’ (days 2-6). Participants who engaged in extraverted behavior reported greater levels of positive affect ‘in-the-moment’ when compared to introverted and control behaviors. We did not observe strong evidence to suggest that this effect was more pronounced for dispositional extraverts. The current research explores the effects of extraverted behavior on other indicators of well-being and examines the effectiveness of acting extraverted (both socially and non-socially) as a well-being strategy.

Download Full-text

How We Experience Being Alone: Age Differences in Affective and Biological Correlates of Momentary Solitude

Gerontology ◽

10.1159/000450608 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

pp. 55-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Theresa Pauly ◽

Jennifer C. Lay ◽

Urs M. Nater ◽

Stacey B. Scott ◽

Christiane A. Hoppmann

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Age Differences ◽

Multilevel Models ◽

Adult Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate ◽

Adult Life Span ◽

High Arousal ◽

Handheld Device

Background: Spending time alone constitutes a ubiquitous part of our everyday lives. As we get older, alone time increases. Less is known, however, about age differences in the experience of spending time alone (momentary solitude). Objectives: We examined time-varying associations between momentary solitude, affect quality, and two hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity markers [salivary cortisol; dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAs)] to better understand the affective and biological correlates of momentary solitude across the adult life span. Method: A total of 185 adults aged 20-81 years (mean age = 49 years, 51% female, 74% Caucasian) completed questionnaires on momentary solitude (alone vs. not alone) and current affect on a handheld device, and provided concurrent saliva samples up to seven times a day for 10 consecutive days. Data were analyzed using multilevel models, controlling for the overall amount of time participants spent alone during the study (overall solitude). Results: Greater overall solitude was associated with decreased average high arousal positive affect and increased average cortisol and DHEAs levels. Momentary solitude was associated with reduced high arousal positive affect, increased low arousal positive affect, and increased low arousal negative affect. Age by momentary solitude interactions indicate that greater age was associated with increased high arousal positive affect and reduced low arousal negative affect during momentary solitude. Furthermore, momentary solitude was associated with increased cortisol and DHEAs. With greater age, the association between momentary solitude and cortisol weakened. Conclusion: Consistent with the negative connotations to loneliness and objective social isolation, greater overall solitude was associated with negative affective and biological correlates. Spending a large overall amount of time alone in old age might thus have negative ramifications for health and well-being. Momentary solitude, in contrast, can be a double-edged sword as evidenced by both positive and negative well-being implications. Importantly, greater age is linked to more favorable affective and biological correlates of momentary solitude. The momentary state of spending time alone is thus an experience that is not necessarily negative and that may improve with aging.

Download Full-text

Daily emotional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

10.31234/osf.io/pg6bw ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Leonhard Lades ◽

Kate Laffan ◽

Michael Daly ◽

Liam Delaney

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Media Coverage ◽

Daily Life ◽

Emotional Experience ◽

Negative Emotions ◽

Home Schooling ◽

Well Being ◽

Protective Role ◽

The World

The COVID-19 outbreak has become one of the largest public health crises of our time. Governments have responded by implementing self-isolation and physical distancing measures that have profoundly impacted daily life throughout the world. In this study, we aimed to investigate how people experience the activities, interactions, and settings of their lives during the pandemic. The sample (N = 604) were assessed in Ireland on the 25th March, 2020, following the closure of schools and non-essential businesses. We examined within-person variance in emotional well-being and how people spend their time. We found that while most time was spent in the home (74%), time spent outdoors (8%) was associated with markedly raised positive affect and reduced negative emotions. Exercising, going for walks, gardening, pursuing hobbies and taking care of children were the activities associated with the greatest affective benefits. Home schooling children and obtaining information about COVID-19 were ranked lowest of all activities in terms of emotional experience. These findings highlight activities that may play a protective role in relation to well-being during the pandemic, the importance of setting limits for exposure to COVID-19 related media coverage, and the need for greater educational supports to facilitate home schooling during this challenging period.

Download Full-text

Linking Older Adults’ Daily Activities With Well-Being and Cognition: Examining Moderators and Mediators

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.2215 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 580-581

Author(s):

Christina Roecke ◽

Minxia Luo ◽

Thomas M Hess

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Social Activity ◽

Well Being ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Moderating Role

Abstract Increasingly more studies are showing that daily activities can be beneficial to wellbeing and cognitive abilities of older adults, but discussions about through which psychological mechanisms daily activities are associated with wellbeing and cognitive health have been scarce. This symposium, including three ambulatory assessment studies and one cross-sectional study, presents emerging theoretical hypotheses and recent empirical findings on this matter. Specifically, with 5-6 days of observations from 313 older adults, Brown and colleagues show that greater daily activity diversity is related to older adults’ higher overall cognitive functioning (executive functioning, memory, and crystallized intelligence). Hueluer and colleagues examine the moderating role of interaction modality on the relation of daily social interactions with wellbeing using data from 116 older adults over 21 days. Their results show that more face-to-face interactions — but not telephone or digital interactions — are associated with higher positive affect and lower loneliness. With data from 153 older adults over 15 days, Luo and colleagues show the mediating effect of positive affect in the association between momentary working memory performance and subsequent social activity engagement. Sharifian and colleagues show the mediating effects of solitary-cognitive activities in the association between depressive symptoms and global cognition, using cross-sectional data from 453 older adults, and also examine the moderating role of race. Finally, Tom Hess will serve as a discussant and provide an integrative discussion of the papers, informed by his extensive work on daily activities, motivation, and aging.

Download Full-text