2086 © The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. Research Article Is Positive Affect Related to Meaning in Life Differently in Younger and Older Adults? A Time Sampling Study Steven Tsun-Wai Chu, BSSc , Helene H. Fung, PhD,* , and Li Chu, BA Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China. *Address correspondence to: Helene H. Fung, PhD, Department of Psychology, Room 358, Sino Building, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China. E-mail: hhlfung@psy.cuhk.edu.hk Received: April 29, 2019; Editorial Decision Date: June 21, 2019 Decision Editor: Shevaun Neupert, PhD Abstract Objectives: Prior studies have found that as people age, they value low-arousal positive affect (LAP) to a greater extent and high-arousal positive affect (HAP) to a lower extent. We aimed to investigate whether actually achieving those ideal affects was related to better well-being outcomes, measured in terms of meaning in life. Methods: Using a time sampling design across 14 days (N = 162), we investigated whether the experience of LAP and HAP was related to the experience of meaning in life and how these associations differed across younger and older adults in Hong Kong. Results: Both LAP and HAP contributed to the experience of meaning in life for both younger and older adults. The global effect of LAP on meaning in life was stronger for older than younger adults, whereas the momentary effect of HAP on meaning in life was stronger for younger adults than older adults. Discussion: Findings suggest that achieving ideal affect is related to better eudaimonic well-being outcomes. People of dif- ferent age groups know how they want to feel. Actually achieving the feelings endorsed by one’s age group is associated with higher meaningfulness of life. Keywords: Affect valuation theory, Age differences, Aging, Ecological momentary assessment, Intensive longitudinal design, Presence of meaning According to Dalai Lama, the purpose of our lives is to be happy. Similarly, in the popular culture, many people be- lieve that living a pleasurable life is the most important goal in life: “Don’t worry, be happy.” Many endorse the pur- suit of happiness as their source of satisfaction (Peterson, Park, & Seligman, 2005). However, positive emotions like happiness can be further distinguished into low-arousal positive affect (LAP; e.g., peaceful, relaxed, calm, and re- lieved) and high-arousal positive affect (HAP; e.g., ex- cited, ecstatic, giddy, and elated). Some prior studies (e.g., Mogilner, Kamvar, & Aaker, 2011) found that older adults (OAs) valued LAP to a greater extent, and HAP to a lesser extent, than did younger adults (YAs). However, because of the affective forecasting problem (Wilson & Gilbert, 2005), whether actually achieving these emotional states is related to greater well-being is unclear. In this study, we used a time sampling design to investigate whether the experience of LAP and HAP was related to well-being, measured in terms of meaning in life, and how these associations dif- fered across age groups. Preference of Emotions Across the Life Span In general, having positive affect (PA) becomes more impor- tant to individuals as they age. Socioemotional selectivity theory (Carstensen, 2006; Carstensen, Fung, & Charles, 2003) argues that “emotionally meaningful goals” are pri- oritized with an increasingly limited time perspective for Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences cite as: J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci, 2020, Vol. 75, No. 10, 2086–2094 doi:10.1093/geronb/gbz086 Advance Access publication June 28, 2019 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/75/10/2086/5524901 by guest on 26 October 2023