Intraindividual variability in positive and negative affect over 45 days: Do older adults fluctuate less than young adults?
Abstract
Opposing scenarios about age-related increases and decreases in intraindividual variability are found in the literature: Whereas accumulating evidence indicates that cognitive functioning is characterized by an age-related increase of short-term variability, age-related decreases in variability could be expected in affective states on the basis of theories of emotion regulation and self development. We examined age differences in intraindividual variability of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) and in contingencies among daily affect, daily stress, and daily events using up to 45 daily assessments of 18 young (20-30 years) and 19 older (70-80 years) adults. Whereas age groups differed little in average affect levels, older adults showed significantly less variability in PA and NA than young adults. Age differences accounted for greater variance in variability than personality factors. Multilevel modeling indicated that for young but not older adults, PA was higher (lower) on days with a positive (negative) event, and NA was lower on days with a positive event. There were no age differences in daily affect reactivity to appraised stress severity.
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Most studies of intra-individual emotion variability fail to consider gender or attempt to statistically control for it.
“most studies of intra-individual emotion variability simply fail to consider gender or attempt to statistically “control” for it20–28.”
From Little evidence for sex or ovarian hormone influences on affective variability (2021) · cites this paper as [28]
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Little evidence for sex or ovarian hormone influences on affective variability
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- Authors
- Röcke, C., Li, S.-C., & Smith, J.
- Affiliations
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development (DE)
- Max Planck Society (DE)
- Venue
- Psychology and Aging
- Published
- 2009-12
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 863-878
- ISSN
- 0882-7974 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1498
- OpenAlex
- W2033445513
- Cited by
- 288
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 20
- FWCI
- 17.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychology and Aging (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
- Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- within-person variability, positive affect, negative affect, age differences, older adults, young adults, daily affect, daily stress, daily events, emotion regulation, personality
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affect, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Humans, Individuality, Personality, Stress, Psychological, Time Factors, Young Adult
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