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Influence of time on social preferences: implications for life-span development
H H Fung1, L L Carstensen, A M Lutz
1Department of Psychology, Stanford University, California 94305, USA. fung@psych.stanford.edu
Psychology and Aging
|January 13, 2000
Summary
Older adults prioritize emotionally meaningful relationships due to limited time, not age itself. This preference for familiar social partners shifts when future time perception changes, affecting social contact across age groups.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Gerontology
- Social Sciences
Background:
- Socioemotional selectivity theory posits that older adults limit social contact due to a preference for emotionally meaningful partners.
- This preference is attributed to perceived time limitations rather than chronological age.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of perceived time constraints in shaping social partner preferences across the lifespan.
- To examine how future time perception influences the selection of familiar versus novel social partners.
Main Methods:
- Cross-cultural study comparing social preferences in the United States and Hong Kong.
- Experimental manipulation of future time perception (expansive vs. constrained).
- Analysis of social partner preferences in Hong Kong before and after the 1997 handover.
Main Results:
- Older adults consistently preferred familiar social partners, unlike younger adults, when time was perceived as limited.
- This age-related preference for familiarity diminished when older adults imagined an expansive future.
- Both age groups favored familiar partners when faced with a hypothetical time constraint.
- Social preferences in Hong Kong varied significantly around the 1997 handover, interpreted as a sociopolitical time constraint.
Conclusions:
- Perceived time limitations, not age per se, drive the preference for familiar, emotionally meaningful social partners in older adults.
- Future time perception is a critical factor influencing social selectivity across the lifespan.
- Sociopolitical events can act as perceived time constraints, influencing social preferences in a population.
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