0000000000040528
AUTHOR
Gloria Luong
IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: NEGATIVE AFFECT VALUATION IN LATER ADULTHOOD
Affective values may shape how affect is linked to health and well-being. Much of the work to date, however, has focused mostly on younger, European American adult samples. Yet, emotional experiences are known to take on greater importance in later life. In the current study, 313 participants (65+ years old) from the Daily Experiences and Well-Being Study (DEWS) completed baseline interviews, questionnaires, and 4–5 days of ecological momentary assessments (EMA). The baseline EMA surveys assessed momentary affect whereas the questionnaires assessed negative affect valuation (NAV): the extent to which people recognize value in negative emotional experiences in terms of their pleasantness, ap…
EMBEDDING CONTEXT IN INVESTIGATIONS OF AFFECTIVE VARIABILITY: AGE DIFFERENCES IN AFFECT-HEALTH LINKS
Context plays a potentially important role in explaining variability in affective experiences and yet, has often been overlooked in this line of research. The current study used data from a lifespan sample of 398 German participants ranging between 12–88 years of age (M = 40, SD = 20). Participants completed computer assisted personal interviews regarding health and well-being measures, as well as experience sampling assessments of daily affective experiences and events (e.g., uplifts). Three indices of positive affect (PA) were created: mean PA, PA reactivity to uplifts, and PA variability. In general, greater mean PA and lower PA reactivity and variability were associated with better heal…
Diurnal coupling between testosterone and cortisol from adolescence to older adulthood
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes are typically conceptualized as mutually inhibitory systems; however, previous studies have found evidence for positive within-person associations (i.e., coupling) between cortisol and testosterone. One developmental hypothesis is that positive testosterone-cortisol coupling is unique to the adolescent period and that coupling becomes attenuated, or even switches direction, in adulthood. This study used a lifespan sample (N = 292, ages 11 to 88) to test for age-related differences in coupling between cortisol and testosterone in daily life. Participants provided salivary hormone samples at waking, 30 minu…