PMID: 15248472Jul 14, 2004Paper

Deconstructing positive affect in later life: a differential functionalist analysis of joy and interest

International Journal of Aging & Human Development
Nathan S ConsedineArlene R King

Abstract

Positive affect, an index of psychological well-being, is a known predictor of functionality and health in later life. Measures typically studied include joy, happiness, and subjective well-being, but less often interest--a positive emotion with functional properties that differ from joy or happiness. Following differential emotions theory, the present study measured trait joy and interest in a population-based sample of 1,118 adults aged 65-86 years. As predicted, trait joy was associated with greater religious participation, while trait interest was associated with greater education. Joy was associated with lower morbidity and stress while interest was not. Interest was, in fact, associated with greater stress. Both emotions were positively associated with social support. We use the pattern of predictors to develop a functionalist conceptualization of these two emotions in later life, concluding that it is worthwhile to treat interest and joy as partially-independent positive affects contributing differentially to human emotionality and later life adaptation.

References

Jan 1, 1979·Community Mental Health Journal·C I Cohen, J Sokolovsky
Aug 1, 1975·Psychological Reports·C M Meadows
Nov 1, 1990·Journal of Gerontology·D A Revicki, J P Mitchell
Jun 1, 1985·Research on Aging·L K GeorgeR Landerman
Jan 1, 1981·Schizophrenia Bulletin·J Sokolovsky, C I Cohen
Jan 1, 1995·Health Psychology : Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association·T H BrandonZ L Saper
Jul 1, 1997·The Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences·J O OkwumabuaB O Pilgram
Jul 1, 1997·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·B Ingersoll-DaytonT Antonucci
Jan 27, 1998·Circulation·W J Rowe
Feb 20, 1998·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·F R LangL L Carstensen
Sep 29, 1998·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·J J GalloS Lesikar
Jan 6, 1999·The British Journal of Medical Psychology·R Nesse
Jan 12, 1999·Psychology and Aging·T Y ArbuckleJ S Chaikelson
Feb 17, 1999·Psychological Bulletin·J A Russell, J M Carroll
Jun 3, 1999·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·D P GreenK M Truax
May 4, 2000·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·Y BenyaminiE A Leventhal
Nov 7, 2000·American Journal of Health Promotion : AJHP·T E Seeman
Nov 28, 2000·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·J HintikkaH Viinamäki
Feb 24, 2001·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·C MagaiD Peralta
Mar 17, 2001·Health Education Research·M P Gallant, G P Dorn
Apr 13, 2001·Community Mental Health Journal·F M Baker
Aug 29, 2002·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·Nathan S ConsedineMichael Gillespie
Dec 24, 2002·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·Judith G ChipperfieldBernard Weiner
Dec 1, 2000·Motivation and Emotion·Barbara L FredricksonMichele M Tugade
Sep 1, 1998·Review of General Psychology : Journal of Division 1, of the American Psychological Association·Barbara L Fredrickson
Mar 1, 1998·Cognition & Emotion·Barbara L Fredrickson, Robert W Levenson
Jan 1, 1995·The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry : Official Journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry·F M BakerCynthia Wiley

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jan 30, 2008·Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology·David R PhillipsKevin H C Cheng
Apr 6, 2006·Psychology and Aging·Derek M IsaacowitzHugh R Wilson
Nov 6, 2009·Aging & Mental Health·Nathan S Consedine, Katherine L Fiori
Jun 7, 2003·Attachment & Human Development·Nathan S Consedine, Carol Magai
Jul 27, 2006·Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·Lisa FredmanJay Magaziner
Dec 14, 2011·Scandinavian Journal of Psychology·Tina Løkke VieStåle Einarsen
Jul 5, 2011·British Journal of Health Psychology·Nathan S ConsedineElizabeth A Broadbent
Jun 16, 2009·International Journal of Aging & Human Development·Judith G ChipperfieldNancy E Newall
Feb 14, 2018·Psychology, Health & Medicine·Sebastiano CostaFrancesca Cuzzocrea
Jun 1, 2021·Frontiers in Psychology·Leopold Helmut Otto Roth, Anton-Rupert Laireiter

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.