According to a new study published in Psychology & Aging, novel experiences cause greater emotional distress in younger adults compared to older adults, challenging age-related stereotypes.
Novelty permeates everyday life, whether it’s new restaurants or the unfamiliarity of a first day at a new job. Such experiences can trigger uncertainties, which might lead to discomfort, or opportunities that facilitate personal growth. As we age, the impact of novelty on emotional well-being shifts, at times becoming misaligned with the goals and motivations of older adults. In this work, Li Chu and colleagues examined these age-related differences in emotional responses to novel situations.
A total of 375 adults from the San Francisco Bay Area, between the ages 18 to 94, were included in this research. Participants were enrolled in the study during three different waves (1993, 1998, and 2004) and were selected based on their self-reported health being as good as or better than others their age. This criterion was important to ensure that health disparities did not skew the emotional data related to novel experiences.
Each participant was prompted randomly five times per day over a period of seven days to report their immediate emotional state and the novelty of their current situation. This high frequency of reporting aimed to capture a real-time picture of how individuals react emotionally to changes in their environment.
Participants rated the novelty of the situation across three items on a 7-point scale, including its newness, unfamiliarity, and unexpectedness. Intensity of emotional responses were assessed using a 7-point scale that included positive emotions (e.g., happiness, joy), negative emotions (e.g., anger, fear), and emotional arousal (e.g., calm, quiet).
The analysis revealed that higher levels of perceived novelty were generally associated with lower positive and higher negative emotional states. This suggests that encountering something new or unexpected tends to be emotionally challenging more often than it is rewarding. Contrary to popular stereotypes, the results showed that older adults experienced less negative reactivity to novel situations compared to younger adults.
Overall, these findings challenge common stereotypes about age and novelty. While younger adults are often thought to be more open and adaptive to new experiences, they may find these situations more emotionally taxing than older adults. Older adults’ emotional advantage might stem from a lifetime of acquiring coping mechanisms and a possible shift in priorities that emphasizes emotional well-being over novelty seeking.
A limitation noted by the authors is the study’s reliance on self-reported data, which may not accurately capture emotional experiences. Additionally, the researchers did not differentiate between types of novelty—whether positive or negative—which could affect emotional outcomes.
The study, “Age-Related Emotional Advantages in Encountering Novel Situation in Daily Life”, was authored by Li Chu, Yochai Z. Shavit, Nilam Ram, and Laura L. Carstensen.