David M. Almeida

Objectives: The extant literature suggests that spending time helping others is associated with both beneficial and detrimental effects on givers’ emotional experiences. To reconcile these findings, the current study examined the daily- and monthly-level associations between spending time helping others and well-being. We predicted that spending time helping others would be associated with lower hedonic well-being at the daily level but higher eudaimonic well-being at the monthly level. We further hypothesized that age would moderate these associations. Method: We used data from the main survey and the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) in MIDUS 3 (N=865) and MIDUS Refresher 1 (N=612). Participants reported their daily and monthly time spent helping others. Measures included hedonic well-being (negative affect and positive affect) and eudaimonic well-being (social and psychological well-being). Results: At the daily level, our sample of adults experienced mixed emotional consequences on days when they spent more time helping others, reporting both higher negative and positive affect. Age moderation showed young and middle-aged adults experienced more negative affect. At the monthly level, spending time helping others was associated with higher social and psychological well-being. This association was significantly stronger among older adults than middle-aged adults in Refresher 1. Monthly spending time helping others was not associated with hedonic well-being. Discussion: These findings suggest that spending time helping others can be both taxing and enjoyable in the short term while contributing to eudaimonic benefits over the long term. Older age may reduce costs and enhance benefits of spending time helping others.

DNA methylation algorithms, such as DunedinPACE, are increasingly used to study the mechanisms of aging and to identify associations with risk factors in adult development and aging. Growing evidence suggests that an increased pace of epigenetic aging is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia, but the correlation between epigenetic aging and subjective cognitive complaints (eg, forgetting a name or forgetting to take your medication), an early marker of dementia risk, remains unexplored. Using data from The National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) and Midlife in the United States (MIDUS; N = 232), we examined the relationship between epigenetic aging rate (ie, DunedinPACE) and self-reported daily memory lapses (ie, occurrence, irritation, interference) in midlife and older adults. We found no significant main effects of the rate of epigenetic aging on self-reported memory lapses; however, a significant chronological age interaction indicates that among the comparatively younger adults in the sample (age 40-49), faster than average rates of aging (ie, higher DunedinPACE) were associated with more prospective memory lapses approximately a decade later as well as greater reports of prospective memory lapse irritation and interference. Additionally, for respondents in their forties, a higher DunedinPACE was associated with both greater prospective memory lapse irritation and interference. These results suggest that early midlife may be a sensitive period during which the rate of epigenetic aging is more influential on cognitive health outcomes.

Appraisals of daily stressors (e.g., daily stressor control) have been theorized to be associated with better short-term and long-term health and well-being. Although daily stressor control has been identified as a resource for buffering same-day and next-day affective responses to daily stressors, little work has explored associations across type of daily stressor. As such, the current study aimed to understand the potential protective utility of perceived stressor control for daily stressor-affect associations. Using the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDEIII; n = 1,263, Mage = 62.62, 57.20% women), two-level multilevel models revealed a protective pattern where stressor control was associated with dampened affective response to daily stressors, particularly for interpersonal stressors (ps < .05). On days when people perceived more control over their arguments or avoided arguments participants exhibited less negative and positive affective reactivity compared to days with less perceived control. Perceived control over daily interpersonal and home stressors were associated with dampened negative and positive affective reactivity, respectively. Results underscore the importance of perceived stressor control for interpersonal and home stressors and the utility of perceived control as a protective factor for the more immediate/same day effects of daily stress. Individuals may aim to leverage resources (e.g., social support, active coping) to feel more in control of their own daily interpersonal stress.

Objective: Extensive research has established relationships between depression and inflammation, yet greater attention is needed to elucidate mechanisms through which these processes unfold across multiple levels of analysis and time scales. This cohort panel study evaluated the role of daily affect dynamics in bidirectional and longitudinal associations between depressive symptoms and inflammation. Methods: Using data from the second and third waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, the sample included 563 adults (M _age =52.4; 57% female; 84% White). During the Biomarker Project, depressive symptoms were assessed at a single time point using the CESD-20, and the inflammatory markers were collected, including CRP and 4 cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, TNFα, IL-10). During the Daily Diary Project, daily affect and stress were measured over 8 consecutive days. Two affect dynamics indicators were specified: affective variability and reactivity to daily stressors. Multilevel structural equation models simultaneously tested autoregressive and cross-lagged associations between depressive symptoms and inflammation at the person-level, and day-level mediated paths involving daily affect dynamics. Results: Results revealed that affective variability and reactivity mediated the autoregressive paths of depressive symptoms across 2 waves. Positive affective variability mediated the pathway from heightened baseline depressive symptoms to higher CRP levels at follow-up. Negative affective reactivity to daily stressors mediated the pathway from higher baseline CRP to subsequent depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Findings suggest daily affective processes as potential mechanisms linking depressive symptoms and inflammation, underscoring the significance of promoting affective stability and adaptive stress responses in everyday life.

Affect dynamics are key indicators of health and well-being across adulthood, yet little is known about their longitudinal changes and correlates. Combining mean levels and daily variability, this study examined latent profiles of affect dynamics and patterns of profile transitions over a 10-year span among middle-aged and older adults. We examined longitudinal data from the Midlife in the United States study, consisting of the second and third waves of daily diary assessments (National Study of Daily Experiences). The analytic sample included 950 U.S. adults with 7,222 days for Wave 2 and 7,580 days for Wave 3 (mean age at Wave 2 = 53 years, range: 34-81; 58% women; 86% White). Two affect dynamic indicators-affective variability and affect mean levels-were derived from eight daily dairy interviews at each wave. Latent profile analyses identified three profiles of affect dynamics: stable positivity, moderately variable, and highly variable negativity. Latent transition analysis revealed that all profiles exhibited moderate transition stability, with individuals generally transitioning toward less variable affectivity profiles 10 years later. Older age was associated with more stable and favorable affectivity profiles, whereas higher depressive symptoms and greater number of chronic conditions were associated with more variable and unfavorable affectivity profiles. These findings highlight the dual aspects of aging in affective well-being, including the benefits of improved affective stability and regulation with age and persistent vulnerabilities contributing to individual differences in affect dynamics. Our study underscores the importance of examining multiple affect dynamic indicators simultaneously to capture the complexity of longitudinal changes in affect dynamics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Advanced age has been associated with benefits in stress reactivity. However, previous research has not investigated this advantage for daily memory functioning, which is crucial for the quality of life in adulthood. Considering the possible detrimental effects of stressors on daily memory functioning, this study investigated the relationship between stressor occurrence and memory lapses in middle and late adulthood and whether positive affect acts as a stress buffer. The sample consisted of 1,071 community-dwelling adults aged 43-90 years (M = 62.71, SD = 10.13) from the National Study of Daily Experiences. Participants completed eight consecutive daily telephone interviews assessing stressor occurrence, memory lapses (retrospective and prospective), and positive affect. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to analyze the multilevel data (days nested within people). The findings showed that participants were more likely to report memory lapses on days with a stressor compared to days without a stressor. Positive affect did not buffer this relationship, regardless of the arousal level, although higher overall positive affect was associated with fewer memory lapses. Age did not moderate this relationship. Exploratory analyses suggested that the present effects were mostly driven by retrospective rather than prospective memory lapses. These findings highlight the impact of daily stressors on cognitive functioning and underscore the need to explore modifiable factors to protect against stress-related daily memory lapses throughout adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

BACKGROUND: Profound stress system dysfunction is a hallmark pathological feature of major depressive disorder (MDD), including altered affective dynamics in response to stress. However, no studies have directly assessed the link between negative affective responsivity (NA-R) to daily stressors and sympathetic-cardiovascular stress reactivity in young adults with MDD. We tested the hypotheses that (1) greater NA-R to daily stressors would be positively related to the magnitude of acute stress–induced sympathetic-cardiovascular reactivity in young adults (18–30 years) and (2) the slope of these relations would be steeper in young adults with MDD (unmedicated) compared with nondepressed healthy adults. METHODS: Daily stress processes and affective dynamics were assessed during routine everyday life for 8 consecutive days in 42 nondepressed healthy adults and 39 adults with MDD (daily diary). On the last day of the daily assessments, heart rate (ECG), beat-to-beat blood pressure (finger photoplethysmography), and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (peroneal microneurography) were measured during the cold pressor test, a standard laboratory stressor. RESULTS: NA-R to daily stressors was amplified in MDD adults ( P =0.01). Greater NA-R was related to larger acute stress–induced increases in heart rate only in MDD adults ( b =48.61 [95% CI, 22.48–74.74]) but not in nondepressed healthy adults ( b =−6.81 [95% CI, −41.95 to 28.33]). NA-R to daily stressors was not related to blood pressure or muscle sympathetic nerve activity reactivity in either group (all P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the association between NA-R to daily stressors and cardiovascular reactivity to stress is sensitized in young adults with MDD, potentially contributing to future cardiovascular disease risk.

Background: Modern psychology has long recognized that understanding human behavior requires knowledge about a person’s current context, which is often examined through daily diary studies. These studies offer ecologically valid insights into how everyday experiences—particularly stressors—affect health and well-being. The National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) addresses a critical gap by applying this approach in a large, longitudinal, and publicly accessible study that captures daily life across adulthood. Objective: The NSDE is the largest and longest-running publicly accessible daily diary study in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to provide a guide for researchers interested in initiating similar naturalistic studies and to facilitate research using the existing NSDE data. Methods: The NSDE includes 3510 adults (aged 24-97 years), yielding over 42,000 days of information to capture how daily life changes with age, over time, and across different cohorts, and how these daily experiences predict later health and well-being. This intensive longitudinal dataset includes an 8-day daily diary collected via phone survey, spans more than 20 years, and consists of 2 longitudinal datasets. During the daily phone interviews, participants provide reports of their experiences regarding daily events, including their stressors (Daily Inventory of Stressful Events), as well as their physical health indices, emotional experiences, and cognitive health. In addition, saliva is collected concurrently with days 2-5 of the daily phone interviews (4 collections per day for 4 consecutive days) and is used to measure biomarkers such as cortisol and alpha amylase. Results: Recruitment began in 1995, with data collection occurring every 9-10 years. The most recent data collection is ongoing through 2027. All NSDE data are housed under the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study umbrella, with archived and updated datasets made available to the public on the online portal, MIDUS Colectica. Conclusions: Results from the NSDE have refined our understanding of daily stress processes. The study’s timescale has provided insight into daily life for hundreds of studies, yet much more can be learned from using these data. Microlongitudinal measures and combinations of factors provide for new avenues of research and promise for better understanding of health and aging. Moreover, NSDE data can be combined with datasets from neuroscience, biomarker, and macrolongitudinal subprojects from MIDUS to examine health-related processes. In addition to offering information on how to use the NSDE, this protocol serves as a resource for secondary data analyses and an outline for investigators wishing to replicate an intensive assessment design to other populations and research questions to continue to refine our understanding of how daily stress processes influence health and well-being. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/76453

BACKGROUND Modern psychology has long recognized that understanding human behavior requires knowledge about a person’s current context, which is often examined through daily diary studies. These studies offer ecologically valid insights into how everyday experiences—particularly stressors—affect health and well-being. The National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) addresses a critical gap by applying this approach in a large, longitudinal, and publicly accessible study that captures daily life across adulthood. OBJECTIVE The NSDE is the largest and longest-running publicly accessible daily diary study in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to provide a guide for researchers interested in initiating similar naturalistic studies and to facilitate research using the existing NSDE data. METHODS The NSDE includes 3510 adults (aged 24-97 years), yielding over 42,000 days of information to capture how daily life changes with age, over time, and across different cohorts, and how these daily experiences predict later health and well-being. This intensive longitudinal dataset includes an 8-day daily diary collected via phone survey, spans more than 20 years, and consists of 2 longitudinal datasets. During the daily phone interviews, participants provide reports of their experiences regarding daily events, including their stressors (Daily Inventory of Stressful Events), as well as their physical health indices, emotional experiences, and cognitive health. In addition, saliva is collected concurrently with days 2-5 of the daily phone interviews (4 collections per day for 4 consecutive days) and is used to measure biomarkers such as cortisol and alpha amylase. RESULTS Recruitment began in 1995, with data collection occurring every 9-10 years. The most recent data collection is ongoing through 2027. All NSDE data are housed under the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study umbrella, with archived and updated datasets made available to the public on the online portal, MIDUS Colectica. CONCLUSIONS Results from the NSDE have refined our understanding of daily stress processes. The study’s timescale has provided insight into daily life for hundreds of studies, yet much more can be learned from using these data. Microlongitudinal measures and combinations of factors provide for new avenues of research and promise for better understanding of health and aging. Moreover, NSDE data can be combined with datasets from neuroscience, biomarker, and macrolongitudinal subprojects from MIDUS to examine health-related processes. In addition to offering information on how to use the NSDE, this protocol serves as a resource for secondary data analyses and an outline for investigators wishing to replicate an intensive assessment design to other populations and research questions to continue to refine our understanding of how daily stress processes influence health and well-being. CLINICALTRIAL INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/76453