Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is creating unprecedented, sustained, and unavoidable stress for the entire population, and older people are facing particularly heightened risk of contracting the virus and suffering severe complications, including death. The present study was conducted when the pandemic was spreading exponentially in the United States. To address important theoretical questions about age differences in emotional experience in times of crisis, we surveyed a representative sample of 945 Americans between the ages of 18 and 76 years and assessed the frequency and intensity of a range of positive and negative emotions. We also assessed perceived risk of contagion and complications from the virus, as well as personality, health, and demographic characteristics. Age was associated with relatively greater emotional well-being both when analyses did and did not control for perceived risk and other covariates. The present findings extend previous research about age and emotion by demonstrating that older adults’ relatively better emotional well-being persists even in the face of prolonged stress.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic is creating unprecedented, sustained, and unavoidable stress for the entire population, and older people are facing heightened risk of contracting the virus and suffering severe complications, including death
In addition to the practical importance of understanding the emotional reactions people are experiencing during these extraordinary times, examining age differences in responses to population-wide stressors may shed light on important theoretical questions about age differences in emotional experience and emotion regulation
Participants reported positive emotions (M = 1.97, SD = 0.56) more frequently than negative emotions (M = 1.42, SD = 0.66), t(944) = 15.41, p < .001, d = 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) for the mean difference = [0.48, 0.63]
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic is creating unprecedented, sustained, and unavoidable stress for the entire population, and older people are facing heightened risk of contracting the virus and suffering severe complications, including death. To address important theoretical questions about age differences in emotional experience in times of crisis, we surveyed a representative sample of 945 Americans between the ages of 18 and 76 years and assessed the frequency and intensity of a range of positive and negative emotions. We present findings from a survey that assessed age differences at the point when threats to well-being from the COVID-19 pandemic were first peaking in the United States and inescapable external shocks to daily life were ubiquitous. While virtually all life-span theories view selection as essential to adult development, some theories posit that age-related advantages reflect the avoidance of stressors, while others maintain that age advantages are driven by motivational shifts that direct cognitive and behavioral resources to positive and meaningful aspects of life
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