Emotion Dynamics in Young and Cognitively Diverse Older Adults

Prior work has demonstrated age-related increases in emotional well-being and emotional stability. However, little is known about the specific patterns of emotion across daily situations for older adults experiencing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared with cognitively normal (CN) older adults and their younger counterparts.

Young adults (aged 21-34, n = 70), CN older adults (aged 70-83, n = 89), and older adults with MCI (aged 70-84; n = 60) completed an experience sampling procedure (7×/day for 9 days) reporting their current experience of 7 negative emotions and 7 positive emotions. We computed indices of mean-level, intensity, frequency, inertia, and instability.

Compared with young adults, older adults (both CN and with MCI) had lower mean-level and frequency of negative emotion, coupled with higher mean-level and intensity of positive emotion. Older adults with MCI and younger adults had a higher likelihood of negative emotion instability compared with CN older adults. Young adults had higher inertia of positive emotion compared with older adults with MCI. Regarding discrete emotions, older adults with MCI had more intense nervousness, higher boredom inertia, and lower frequency of happiness and excitement compared with CN older adults.

Although older adults with MCI and CN older adults show similar emotion profiles at a broad level, they differ in their temporal dynamics and experience of certain emotions. MCI in old age may be accompanied by more negative emotion instability and less positive emotion inertia, as well as differences in specific emotions representative of (lack of) engagement.