Age and the Factor Structure of Emotional Experience in Adulthood.

Objectives: The current study examined the factor structure of emotional experience across adults 34-50, 51-65, and 66-84 year olds.

Method: Participants (N = 2,022) were asked about 14 negative and 13 positive emotions across 8 days in the National Study of Daily Experiences II study. Factor analysis computed both inter-individual factors (between-person structure of emotional experience) and intra-individual factors (factors describing emotions in daily life) for each age group.

Results: For inter-individual variation, one positive and one negative factor captured emotions experienced for the first two age groups, but the 66 to 84-year-old adults had an additional factor for anger. For intra-individual variation, two factors (fear and sadness; anger) captured negative emotions for the first two age groups. The oldest age group had three negative factors: fear; anger (with additional sadness emotions); and sadness. Four factors captured positive emotions for the middle-aged groups and three for the oldest group; interpersonally oriented emotions (e.g. sense of belonging) were the primary sources of age differences.

Discussion: Findings suggest that subtle age differences exist in the factor structure of daily emotional experience when comparing middle-aged and older adults.