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Children’s positive emotions predict multiple well-being outcomes 39 years later (#203)

John K. Coffey 1 , Katherine Nelson-Coffey 1 , Michael Pluess 2
  1. Arizona State University, Peoria, AZ, United States
  2. Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom

Background

Most parents want their children to live long, happy lives, but children’s happiness remains understudied (Diener & Lucas, 2004). The broaden-and-build theory suggests that positive emotions have short- and long-term benefits for learning, growth, health, and well-being at any age (Fredrickson, 2013; Coffey, 2019). Positive emotions during childhood may have unique long-term benefits (Coffey, 2021).  Yet investigations of children's emotions typically focus on negative emotions, evaluate proximal outcomes, and relies on subjective reports.  

Aims

In the current study, we investigated the association between positive emotion expression in children’s writing at age 11, as indicated by objective raters, and age 50 self-reported well-being outcomes. 

Method

A representative sample of children (age 11) from the United Kingdom (N=436) wrote about what they thought their life would be like at age 25. We examined associations between children’s use of positive emotion words in their essays—independent of academic ability and socioeconomic status (SES)—and age 50 optimism, life satisfaction, meaning in life, positive emotions, subjective health, and social well-being.

Results

Using structural equation modeling to account for age 11 SES and academic ability, we found that age 11 positive emotion expression significantly predicted age 50 life satisfaction (β=.08, p=.034), meaning in life (β=.11, p=.008), optimism (β=.10, p=.007), and social well-being (β=.11, p=.009), but not positive emotions or subjective health.

Conclusion

 In sum, children who expressed more positive emotions in their essays at age 11 reported greater life satisfaction, meaning in life, optimism, and social well-being at age 50. Age 11 positive emotion expression was independent of age 11 SES and academic ability. The findings of this study are strengthened by the use of an observational indicator of emotion expression via writing. Elevating understanding of children’s happiness gives policymakers and educators additional justifications for activities (e.g., art, music, recess) that cultivate positive emotion and may thus promote positive socio-emotional development. 

  1. Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Positive emotions broaden and build. In E. Ashby Plant & P. G. Devine (Eds.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (1st ed., Vol. 47, pp. 1–53). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-407236-7.00001-2
  2. Coffey, J. K. (2021). Positive psychology among infants and young children. In C.R. Snyder, S. J. Lopez, L. M. Edwards, & S. C. Marques (Eds.), The Handbook of Positive Psychology, Third Edition. New York: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199396511.013.8
  3. Diener, M. L., & Lucas, R. E. (2004). Adults’ desires for children’s emotions across 48 countries: Associations with individual and national characteristics. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 35(5), 525–547. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022104268387
  4. Coffey, J. K. (2019). Cascades of infant happiness: Infant positive affect predicts childhood IQ and adult educational attainment. Emotion, 20(7), 1255-1265. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000640
  • Please select up to 3 keywords from the following list to best describe your submission content: Life span development, Meaning and Purpose, Positive emotions
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