title: Getting older, feeling less? A cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation of developmental patterns in experiential well-being.
abstract: A large body of previous research suggests that people's global evaluations of their well-being tend to increase as a function of age. Fewer studies, however, have examined the extent to which people's in vivo experiences of well-being (e.g., felt emotions) vary as a function of age-and the existing findings are mixed. The present study used an approximately nationally representative sample of more than 2,500 Germans to evaluate developmental patterns in both experiential and global well-being using cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. The cross-sectional and longitudinal findings converged on the idea that affect-whether positive or negative, global or experiential-decreases as a function of age and time. In contrast, life satisfaction appears to remain consistent, or perhaps decline across midlife before rebounding in old age. These findings suggest that affective well-being may develop in a nuanced way across adulthood: Negative affect appears to ebb with age-but so does positive affect. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Michigan State University.
authors.forename: Nathan W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Michigan State University.
authors.forename: Richard E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University.
authors.forename: M Brent
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Donnellan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006803:Human Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D055815:Young Adult