The Associations Between Daily Activities and Affect: a Compositional Isotemporal Substitution Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral science
• Psychology
• Public health

Background:

• Daily activities significantly influence affective experiences.
• A 24-hour day comprises distinct activities: sleep, awake in bed, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light-intensity physical activity (LIPA), and sedentary behavior (SB).
• Previous research often analyzed activities in isolation, overlooking their interdependent nature within a 24-hour composition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between the composition of daily activities and affective states.
• To utilize compositional isotemporal substitution analyses to understand how reallocating time between activities impacts affect.
• To examine effects on both high and low arousal positive and negative affect.

Main Methods:

• Employed a pooled analysis of three studies involving 361 healthy adults.
• Measured daily activities objectively via accelerometry over 7-15 days.
• Assessed affect using repeated ecological momentary assessments, averaging data per participant.

Main Results:

• Increased sleep duration, substituting time awake in bed, correlated with reduced high arousal negative affect.
• Greater time spent in MVPA, at the expense of LIPA or SB, was linked to higher high arousal positive affect.
• No significant associations were found between activity composition and low arousal positive or negative affect.

Conclusions:

• The relationship between 24-hour activity composition and affect is nuanced, depending on the specific activities, affect types, and their interplay.
• Findings suggest that integrated guidance on optimal activity patterns can support mental health interventions.
• Reallocating time towards sleep and MVPA may be beneficial for enhancing positive affect and reducing negative affect.