一项电话调查提示，在50岁之后，美国人感到更强的日常幸福感，而且比更年轻的成年人感到压力和担忧的时间更少。Arthur Stone及其同事报告说，来自2008年对34万多位美国人的盖洛普电话调查的数据证实了此前的报道，即随着人们经过中年，总体的幸福感会改善，他们还提供了关于人们的积极和消极日常情绪方面的年龄和性别差异的额外信息。被调查者对他们在接到电话调查之前的一天的大部分时间里是否感到愉悦、幸福、压力、担忧、愤怒和悲伤的问题回答是或者否。这组科学家发现，男性和女性的积极和消极的情绪以类似的方式随着年龄而有差异，尽管所有年龄段的女性报告了比男性更大的压力、担忧和悲伤。诸如压力和愤怒等消极情绪在人们经过20多岁的早期之后下降，担忧在50岁之后下降。尽管幸福和愉悦随着年龄而增加，这组作者报告说，与消极情绪的波动相比，这些变化更小。这组作者说，有年轻的子女、失业或者独身等变量并不影响与年龄相关的幸福感模式。
论文 #10-03744: "A snapshot of the age distribution of psychological well-being in the US," 作者Arthur Stone, Joseph Schwartz, Joan Broderick和 Angus Deaton
利益冲突报告：Arthur Stone 和Angus Deaton是盖洛普组织的高级科学家，他们与Healthways Corporation一起进行了这场电话调查。Arthur Stone还是Invivodata, Inc的高级顾问。
媒体联系人：Arthur Stone，纽约州立大学石溪分校精神病学与行为科学系
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
电话：631-632-8833 (白天), 631-682-0014 (晚间)
电子邮件：arthur.stone@sunysb.edu
Published online before print May 17, 2010, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1003744107
A snapshot of the age distribution of psychological well-being in the United States
Arthur A. Stonea,1, Joseph E. Schwartza,b, Joan E. Brodericka, and Angus Deatonc
Abstract
Psychological well-being (WB) includes a person's overall appraisal of his or her life (Global WB) and affective state (Hedonic WB), and it is considered a key aspect of the health of individuals and groups. Several cross-sectional studies have documented a relation between Global WB and age. Little is known, however, about the age distribution of Hedonic WB. It may yield a different view of aging because it is less influenced by the cognitive reconstruction inherent in Global WB measures and because it includes both positive and negative components of WB. In this study we report on both Global and Hedonic WB assessed in a 2008 telephone survey of 340,847 people in the United States. Consistent with prior studies, Global WB and positive Hedonic WB generally had U-shaped age profiles showing increased WB after the age of 50 years. However, negative Hedonic WB variables showed distinctly different and stronger patterns: Stress and Anger steeply declined from the early 20s, Worry was elevated through middle age and then declined, and Sadness was essentially flat. Unlike a prior study, men and women had very similar age profiles of WB. Several measures that could plausibly covary with the age-WB association (e.g., having children at home) did not alter the age-WB patterns. Global and Hedonic WB measures appear to index different aspects of WB over the lifespan, and the postmidlife increase in WB, especially in Hedonic WB, deserves continued exploration.
