Sense of purpose fluctuations in daily life: A study of young adults and cognitively diverse older adults.

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Abstract
The current work uses ecological momentary assessment data in an age and cognitively diverse group of adults to explore if, when, and why individuals feel purposeful in daily life. Seven times per day for 9 days, young adults (age: M = 27.36; 51.4% men, 47.1% women, 1.4% additional gender; 7.0% Asian/Asian American, 28.6% as Black/African American, 1.4% as Indigenous, 5.7% as Latine/Hispanic, 1.4% Middle Eastern, 58.6% White/European American), older adults without cognitive impairment (age: M = 75.18; 32.6% men, 67.4% women; 23.6% Black/African American, 1.1% Latine/Hispanic, 74.2% White/European American), and older adults with mild cognitive impairment (age: M = 76.97; 50.0% identified as men, 50.0% as women; 31.7% identified as Black/African American, 65.0% White/European American) reported their current sense of purpose and their current activity (N = 219). On average, older adults had higher momentary sense of purpose and less variability in momentary sense of purpose than young adults regardless of cognitive status. Across age and cognitive status groups, individuals felt more purposeful when they were at work/school, engaged in physical activity, volunteering, doing errands/chores, or doing a hobby, and felt less purposeful when they were engaged with media/TV/internet. Individuals often felt more purposeful when they had recently engaged in a social interaction, especially when that social interaction was pleasant and not uncomfortable. Interactions with coworkers were associated with a higher sense of purpose across all groups, though face-to-face interactions versus other interactions (e.g., phone calls, video calls) were not differentially related to momentary sense of purpose. Findings highlight activities that individuals may engage in to bolster their sense of purpose across development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Funding Information
  • National Institutes of Health (R21AG062841)

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