Seeking Pleasure and Seeking Pain: Differences in Prohedonic and Contra-Hedonic Motivation From Adolescence to Old Age
Open accessAbstract
Using a mobile-phone-based experience-sampling technology in a sample of 378 individuals ranging from 14 to 86 years of age, we investigated age differences in how people want to influence their feelings in their daily lives. Contra-hedonic motivations of wanting either to maintain or enhance negative affect or to dampen positive affect were most prevalent in adolescence, whereas prohedonic motivations of wanting either to maintain, but not enhance, positive affect or to dampen negative affect were most prevalent in old age. This pattern was mirrored by an age-related increase in self-reported day-to-day emotional well-being. Analyses of the emotional experiences that accompanied prohedonic and contra-hedonic motivations are consistent with the notions that contra-hedonic motivations are more likely to serve utilitarian than hedonic functions, and that people are more likely to be motivated to maintain negative affect when it is accompanied by positive affect. Implications for understanding affective development are discussed.
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Some negative emotionality in adolescents is intentionally sought and maintained.
“some of this negative emotionality seemingly being “intentionally sought and maintained” by adolescents”
From Rewards, aversions and affect in adolescence: emerging convergences across laboratory animal and human data (2011) · cites this paper as Riediger et al, 2009
Some negative emotionality in adolescents is intentionally sought and maintained, perhaps serving an adaptive function.
“with some of this negative emotionality seemingly being “intentionally sought and maintained” by adolescents (Riediger et al, 2009, p.1533), perhaps to help adolescents disengage from unattainable goals and thereby serving a potential adaptive function (Wrosch & Miller, 2009).”
From Rewards, aversions and affect in adolescence: emerging convergences across laboratory animal and human data (2011) · cites this paper as Riediger et al, 2009
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Riediger, M., Schmiedek, F., Wagner, G. G., & Lindenberger, U.
- Affiliations
- Max Planck Society (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Riediger, Michaela
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2009-12
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1529-1535
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- OpenAlex
- W2120541629
- Cited by
- 325
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 17.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- EconStor Open Access Articles (submittedVersion)
- Econstor (Econstor) (submittedVersion)
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
- Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
- Keywords
- age differences, emotional development, emotional well-being, negative affect, positive affect, adolescence, old age, everyday emotions
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Emotions, Female, Humans, Human Development, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Motivation, Pain, Pleasure-Pain Principle, Regression Analysis, Self Efficacy, Young Adult, Pleasure
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