Quality of experience in prosocial activity and intent to continue: An experience sampling study

According to socioemotional selectivity theory (SST), older adults prefer activities that provide immediate experiential rewards-specifically, emotionally meaningful experiences-but research is needed to establish the posited association. We conducted an experience sampling study of older adults intensively serving formal prosocial programs, which can offer them meaningful social roles, N = 165; M_age (SD) = 71.13 (5.70), range = 60-88. Consistent with SST, intention to continue serving one's prosocial program in the future was positively associated with emotional meaning (EM) experienced within the prosocial-program activity. This association was not amplified by age within this older group. Instead, dispositional EM interacted negatively with age (stronger, positive relationship with future intentions among younger old). Our findings illuminate the possibility that socioemotional selection based on experiences during prosocial-program activity may contribute to the continuity of specific prosocial endeavors in late adulthood. Future research should assess the EM-prosocial endeavors relationship across a wider age range. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).