Age Differences in Subjective Well-Being across Adulthood: The Roles of Savoring and Future Time Perspective

Abstract

Prior research indicates there are age differences in subjective well-being during adulthood, but research on age differences in savoring (up-regulating positive emotion) is lacking. Using an online survey (N = 218, adults 18–77), this study investigated age differences in subjective well-being and savoring, and whether future time perspective (perceived amount of time left to live) mediated associations between age and savoring. Results indicated a nonlinear effect of age on subjective well-being. Although savoring was associated with subjective well-being, age was not directly associated with savoring. However, an indirect effect of future time perspective linking age and savoring indicated that younger adults reported more perceived time left in life and those perceiving more time left in life reported greater savoring. Overall, the results do not support savoring as a direct explanatory mechanism for age differences in subjective well-being, but future time perspective appears to play an important role in indirect associations between age and savoring.

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