Friendships in old age : daily encounters and emotional well-being

Having friends in old age is linked to higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. Yet, we know little about what happens when older adults encounter and engage with friends throughout the day. This study examined whether older adults report a) more pleasantness, b) fewer stressful experiences, and c) better mood when they had contact with friends compared to when they had contact with other social partners or were alone. We also examined whether the closeness of friendships is associated with older adults’ daily experiences. Adults aged 65 and older (n = 313) from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study completed an interview including information about their close social partners and their background characteristics. Then, participants reported their encounters with social partners, the pleasantness of these encounters, stressful experiences, and mood every 3 hours for 5 to 6 days using Android devices. Multilevel models revealed that encounters with friends were the most pleasant among all the encounters and were associated with fewer stressful experiences compared to encounters with spouses or family members throughout the day. Encounters with friends also were associated with increased positive mood. Further, encounters with close friends were not associated with better mood whereas encounters with friends who were not considered close were significantly associated with increased positive mood and reduced negative mood throughout the day. This work facilitates the understanding of how daily contact with friends can promote older adults’ momentary well-being.Human Development and Family Science