High- and Low-Arousal Daily Affect Dynamics Vary Across the Adult Lifespan

Abstract

Objectives: Age differences in affective experience across adulthood are widely documented. According to the circumplex model of affect consists of 2 aspects-valence (positive vs negative) and arousal (low activation vs high activation). Prior research on age differences has primarily focused on the valence aspect. However, little is known about age differences in daily affect of high and low arousal.

Method: The present study examined age differences in daily dynamics (i.e., mean levels, variability, and inertia) of negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) of high and low arousal in a sample of 492 adults aged 21-91. Participants completed daily affect ratings for 21 consecutive days.

Results: Age was negatively and linearly related to mean levels of both high-arousal and low-arousal NA. Both high-arousal and low-arousal PA mean levels showed increases after middle age. Further, age was related to lower variability in both NA and PA regardless of arousal. Additionally, high-arousal NA inertia showed a linear decrease with age, whereas low-arousal PA inertia showed an inverted-U pattern with age. After controlling for mean levels of affect, the associations between age and affect variability remained significant, whereas the associations between age and affect inertia did not.

Discussion: The affective profile of older age is characterized by lower mean levels of NA, higher mean levels of PA, lower affect variability, and less persistence in high-arousal NA and low-arousal PA in daily life. Our results contribute to a nuanced understanding of which affective processes improve with age and which do not.

Keywords: Affect dynamics; Age differences; Arousal; Negative affect; Positive affect.

Figure 1.

A sample dynamic structural equation model examining the associations between age and affect levels, variability, and inertia. Note: NAhi = mean levels of high-arousal negative affect. VarNAhi = residual variances (variability) of high-arousal negative affect. ARNAhi = autoregressive parameters (inertia) of high-arousal negative affect.

Figure 2.

The predicted relationship between age and affect levels. Note. Dashed lines mark the 95% credible intervals. NA = negative affect; PA = positive affect.

Figure 3.

The predicted relationship between age and affect variability. Note. Affect variability is in log variance units. Dashed lines mark the 95% credible intervals. NA = negative affect; PA = positive affect.

Figure 4.

The predicted relationship between age and affect inertia. Note. Dashed lines mark the 95% credible intervals. NA = negative affect; PA = positive affect.