RELAXATION ELEMENTS WITHIN A HOME ENVIRONMENT AND OLDER ADULTS’ SOCIOEMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES OF CHALLENGING TASKS

Abstract

Abstract Older adults protect their well-being under stressful experiences by carefully selecting their environments, social interactions, and tasks. This bias toward positive over negative experiences may reduce engagement in novel, intellectually challenging, or social complex activities that promote healthy aging over the long term. Environments that foster socioemotional well-being could provide older adults with the psychological resources to engage in novel and challenging tasks that support healthy aging. This study examined how relaxation elements within the environment, such as a fireplace, can support socioemotional experiences while engaging in complex cognitive tasks. The study employed a 2x2 (relaxation vs. not X stress vs. not) within-subject design and took place within the home office of a home simulation environment. Under each condition, 61 participants (age 50–82, 57% female) played a cognitive game on a tablet, reflected for 30 seconds, and described feelings while playing the game by telling a story and rating positive and negative adjectives. Relaxation and stress were manipulated via an electric fireplace and a modified Trier paradigm where game performance was observed remotely by a neurologist. The relaxation condition significantly differentiated the coupling of positive and negative sentiment and positive and negative affect. The negative correlation between positive and negative affect increased, whereas stories became more emotionally complex, with both positive and negative sentiment, when the fireplace was on. Our findings suggest that simple modifications to the environment can differentiate the socioemotional experiences of engaging in novel and challenging experiences. The implications for enrichment seeking in older adulthood are discussed.