Older adults experience better affective well‐being in solitude: The moderating role of goal for conflict de‐escalation

Abstract

AbstractOlder adults report greater affective well‐being in solitude than younger adults, but prior findings are based on correlational designs. We aim to examine age differences in affective well‐being in solitude using an experimental design and to examine conflict de‐escalation as a potential mechanism. In Study 1, 207 participants were randomly assigned to either a solitude or a social interaction condition. In Study 2, 128 participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: solitude‐escalation, solitude‐de‐escalation, interaction‐escalation, and interaction de‐escalation. After a 15‐min solitude or social interaction period, they reported their affective experiences. In Study 1, older (vs. younger) adults reported more positive affect overall. This age‐related difference was greater in the solitude (vs. social interaction) condition; older adults reported less negative affect than younger adults in the solitude, but not the social interaction, condition. In Study 2, older (vs. younger) participants reported more high‐arousal positive affect in the solitude‐escalation condition. This difference was not significant in conflict de‐escalation conditions. Our studies provide causal evidence of the relationship between solitude and affective well‐being and advance our understanding of motivations that explain why older adults maintain better affective well‐being in solitude.