Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, 31, Via Dei Vestini, 66100, Chieti, Italy.
Center for Translational Cognitive Neuroscience, Boston University, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.
Sci Rep. 2023 Oct 24;13(1):18190. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-44245-w.
Activity scheduling represents a key process in daily life, involving the evaluation of the costs and benefits of the resources to be invested, but also a preference for when to engage in pleasant or unpleasant activities. Aging affects the evaluation processes and individual preferences due to changes in cognitive functioning and life perspectives. The present study investigated the differences between younger adults (age range 19-33) and older adults (age range 65-87) in a task assessing preferential scheduling of activities. Participants were asked to schedule thirty emotional activities (positive, negative, or neutral) within a 30-day time window, assigning one activity for each day. Results indicated that older adults, but not younger adults, planned positive activities closer in time, supporting the "positivity effect". Also, both younger and older adults tended to postpone negative activities, scheduling them in the last days. Finally, for older adults only, negative affect was associated with the tendency to put positive activities closer in time. Present findings showed age-specific effects of emotional content on daily activity scheduling.
活动安排代表日常生活中的一个关键过程，涉及对要投入的资源的成本和收益的评估，但也涉及对何时从事愉快或不愉快活动的偏好。由于认知功能和生活观念的变化，衰老会影响评估过程和个人偏好。本研究在一项评估活动偏好安排的任务中，比较了年轻成年人（年龄范围 19-33 岁）和老年人（年龄范围 65-87 岁）之间的差异。参与者被要求在 30 天的时间窗口内安排三十项情绪活动（积极、消极或中性），每天安排一项活动。结果表明，只有老年人而不是年轻人更倾向于将积极的活动安排在更近的时间，这支持了“积极性效应”。此外，年轻成年人和老年人都倾向于将消极活动推迟到最后几天安排。最后，只有老年人的消极情绪与将积极活动安排在更近的时间的倾向有关。目前的研究结果表明，情绪内容对日常活动安排有特定年龄的影响。
