Emotions and Social Goals in Young and Older Adults
Author Information
Author(s): Behrend Abigail, Allard Eric, Stanley Jennifer
Primary Institution: Cleveland State University
Hypothesis
Do young and older adults consider specific emotions useful for accomplishing socially-relevant goals?
Conclusion
Both young and older adults endorse emotions that align with their social goals, indicating age-similarity in emotional endorsement.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants rated how much they would like to engage in emotion-inducing activities on a scale of 1 to 7.
- A significant Goal x Emotion interaction was found in the study.
- All predicted emotions were endorsed within their intended goal condition, except for sadness in the Help-seeking condition.
Takeaway
The study found that both young and older people think certain feelings can help them achieve their social goals.
Methodology
An online study where participants rated their desire to engage in emotion-inducing activities across various scenarios.
Participant Demographics
112 young adults (18-35 years; 29.5% men; 68.8% White) and 72 older adults (64-83 years; 25% men; 93.1% White).
Statistical Information
P-Value
p <.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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