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The ratio between positive and negative affect and flourishing mental health across adulthood
- Authors:
- DIEHL Manfred, HAY Elizabeth L., BERG Kathleen M.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 15(7), September 2011, pp.882-893.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Previous research has suggested that the balance of positive to negative affect is critically relevant to well-being and adjustment, and that, to maintain an optimal level of positive mental health, individuals need to experience approximately 3 times more positive than negative affect. The aim of this study was to address the association between the positivity ratio, age, and mental health status, and particularly to see if the proposed critical positivity ratio of 2.9 discriminated equally well between individuals with different mental health status across the adult lifespan. The participants were 239 adults from north central Florida, separated into 3 age groups: 81 young; 81 middle-aged; and 77 older. The participants completed a self-report questionnaire, followed by 30 consecutive days of daily assessments. The findings showed that the ratio of positive to negative affect differed across adulthood such that age was associated with an increasing preponderance of positive to negative affect. The positivity ratio was also associated with mental health status with higher positivity ratios being associated with better mental health. Although the data supported the notion of a positivity ratio of 2.9 as a ‘critical value’ in young adulthood, this value did not equally well discriminate the mental health status of middle-aged and older adults.