Department of Behavioral Sciences and Psychology, Ariel University, 40700, Ariel, Israel.
Department of Counseling and Human Development, University of Haifa, 31905, Haifa, Israel.
Qual Life Res. 2019 Feb;28(2):411-420. doi: 10.1007/s11136-018-2012-3. Epub 2018 Sep 25.
Prioritizing positivity (PP) has been presented as an effective mechanism to increase positive emotions and reduce negative emotions. The current study sought to explore the role of age as a moderator and identify selected situations facilitating the likelihood of routinely experiencing positive and negative emotions.
This mixed methods study consisted of 604 adults between 17 and 87 years who completed prioritizing positivity (PP) scale, positive and negative affect scale (PANAS), and demographic data. Aside from the study questionnaires, a subsample of 223 participants was presented with two open questions. 1037 responses to these two questions comprised the data for content analysis.
PP was found to be associated with increasing positive emotions in old adulthood, but not in young adulthood, and more with decreasing negative emotions in young adulthood than in old adulthood. Content analysis revealed that interpersonal interaction is critical in both increasing positive and reducing negative emotions, across age groups. However, young adults were more likely to prioritize pleasurable activities as triggers of positive emotions. Older adults focused on avoiding unfulfilling situations, due to the negative emotions that they trigger.
Integrating both qualitative and quantitative findings elucidates the role of daily routine situations and activities in the management of positive and negative emotions across the lifespan. PP was shown to be of significant emotional value for younger as well as for older adults, though for different reasons. For younger adults, PP serves as a potential 'buffer' to balance negative emotions related to daily stresses and hassles characterizing this life stage, whereas for older adults it serves as a mechanism to boost life's little pleasures on a daily basis based on the acknowledgment of one's limited time ahead.
优先考虑积极性（PP）已被证明是一种增加积极情绪和减少消极情绪的有效机制。本研究旨在探讨年龄作为调节因素的作用，并确定一些促进常规体验积极和消极情绪的情况。
这项混合方法研究包括 604 名年龄在 17 至 87 岁之间的成年人，他们完成了优先考虑积极性（PP）量表、积极和消极情绪量表（PANAS）以及人口统计学数据。除了研究问卷外，还向 223 名参与者提出了两个开放式问题。这两个问题的 1037 个回复构成了内容分析的数据。
PP 与增加成年后期的积极情绪有关，但与成年早期无关，与减少成年早期的消极情绪有关，但与成年后期无关。内容分析显示，人际互动在增加积极情绪和减少消极情绪方面都很重要，跨越年龄组。然而，年轻人更有可能将愉快的活动作为积极情绪的触发因素。由于消极情绪会引发消极情绪，老年人更关注避免不令人满意的情况。
将定性和定量发现结合起来，阐明了日常生活情况和活动在整个生命周期中管理积极和消极情绪的作用。PP 对年轻和年长的成年人都具有重要的情感价值，尽管原因不同。对于年轻人来说，PP 是一种潜在的“缓冲”，可以平衡与日常生活压力和困扰相关的消极情绪，这些都是这个生活阶段的特征；而对于老年人来说，PP 是一种机制，可以根据对未来有限时间的认识，每天提升生活中的小乐趣。
