The ambivalent role of state curiosity on emotional well-being among older adults: examine the moderating effect of activity diversity in a time-sampling study — ASN Events
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The ambivalent role of state curiosity on emotional well-being among older adults: examine the moderating effect of activity diversity in a time-sampling study (#229)

Yiwen Wu 1 , Zhixuan Lin 1 , Li Chu 2 , Helene H. Fung 1
  1. Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
  2. Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

Background

While trait curiosity is an important contributor to well-being, the state-level relationship is less clear. State curiosity, the affective experience related to learning and exploration, is positively associated with psychological well-being among younger adults but not be the case for older adults. According to the socioemotional selectivity theory (SST)1, older adults are less motivated to pursue knowledge-related goals, hence they are more prone to experience mixed emotions than younger adults when feeling curious2. Moreover, the relationship between state curiosity and emotional well-being may be moderated by activity diversity, as participating in more diverse activities indicates a higher pursuit for extensive knowledge. 

Aims

We aim to examine the relationship between state curiosity and momentary positive and negative affect among older adults and test the moderating effect of individuals’ activity diversity.

Method

We recruited 344 participants aged 60 years or older (Mage = 67.2, SDage = 5.3) in a time-sampling study. Participants reported (1) state curiosity, (2) current positive and negative affects, and (3) current activity three times a day over 10 consecutive days. We calculated activity diversity using Shannon’s entropy3 to capture the breadth and evenness of participation in various daily activities and analyzed the data in multilevel models.

Results

State curiosity was positively correlated with both positive and negative affects. Individuals’ activity diversity moderated this relationship. Specifically, for individuals who participated in more diverse activities, higher state curiosity was associated with more positive affect, but not significantly correlated with negative affect. In contrast, for individuals who participated in less diverse activities, higher state curiosity was associated with more negative affect, but not significantly correlated with positive affect.

Conclusion

This study reveals an ambivalent effect of state curiosity on emotional well-being, which only exists in older adults with lower activity diversity, not in those with higher activity diversity. Our findings provide new ways of understanding curiosity and emotional well-being in aging.

  1. Carstensen, L. L., Isaacowitz, D. M., & Charles, S. T. (1999). Taking time seriously: A theory of socioemotional selectivity. American Psychologist, 54, 165–181. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.3.165
  2. Chu, L., & Fung, H. H. (2020). Do we become more or less curious with age? : examining the roles of age and personal relevance. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation thesis]. Chinese University of Hong Kong.
  3. Lee, S., Koffer, R. E., Sprague, B. N., Charles, S. T., Ram, N., & Almeida, D. M. (2018). Activity Diversity and Its Associations With Psychological Well-Being Across Adulthood. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 73(6), 985–995. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbw118
  • Please select up to 3 keywords from the following list to best describe your submission content: Aging, Coping and Emotion Regulation, Life span development
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