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Does Time Fly When You Are Having Fun? A Day Reconstruction Method Analysis.
Vicki A Freedman1, Frederick Conrad1, Jennifer Cornman2
1University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research.
Journal of Happiness Studies
|August 12, 2014
Summary
Diary studies on happiness duration are popular. This research found that while positive emotions don't bias duration estimates, negative emotions like frustration may inflate perceived activity time.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Gerontology
- Sociology
Background:
- Retrospective daily diaries measuring happiness duration are increasingly used in population studies.
- Experimental research indicates emotional experiences influence duration perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if emotions affect duration estimates in real-world settings.
- To identify specific emotions that may introduce bias in duration measures from daily diaries.
Main Methods:
- Utilized retrospective 24-hour diary data from a national sample of older couples.
- Analyzed data from the Disability and Use of Time (DUST) supplement of the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics.
Main Results:
- Experienced wellbeing and activity duration were inversely associated.
- Negative emotions (frustrated, worried, sad, tired, pain) correlated positively with duration.
- Frustration showed a significant positive correlation with duration (0.06, p<.01) after controlling for covariates.
- Frustration may lead to an upward bias in duration estimates by up to 10 minutes (20%).
Conclusions:
- Diary-based estimates of time spent feeling happy are likely unbiased.
- Further research is needed on the relationship between duration estimation and frustration.
