title: Activity Engagement and Activity-Related Experiences: The Role of Personality.
abstract: The associations of personality with activity participation and well-being have been well studied. However, less is known concerning the relationship between personality and specific aspects of activity engagement in older adults. We conducted a fine-grained examination of the effects of extraversion and conscientiousness on reported activity engagement-which we define as participation, time allocated, and affective experience-during 8 everyday activities.
  
  
  
  Data were obtained using a day reconstruction measure from a subgroup of participants in the 2012 Health and Retirement Study (HRS: N = 5,484; mean age = 67.98 years).
  
  
  
  We found mixed support for hypotheses suggesting that specific personality traits would be associated with activity participation, time allocated, and activity-affective experience. For example, extraverts were more likely to socialize and experienced higher socializing-related positive affect, but did not spend more time socializing.
  
  
  
  Results are discussed in light of the value of including personality in, and its contribution to, studies of activity engagement in later life. In addition, the need to acknowledge the complexity of the concept of activity engagement in future research is highlighted.
authors: Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Nicky J
authors: NJ
authors: Newton
authors: Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa.
authors: Jana
authors: J
authors: Pladevall-Guyer
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Gonzalez
authors: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
authors: Jacqui
authors: J
authors: Smith
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012737:Sex Factors; D058992:Social Participation / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires