Profiles of daily positive emotion dynamics and associations with flourishing

Abstract

The present study investigated between-person differences in daily positive emotion dynamics and their associations with flourishing across two studies (Study 1: n=244, Study 2: n=265). Three between-person indices of daily positive emotion dynamics were created: average intensity, variability, and inertia. Using latent profile analysis, a data-driven technique that identifies subgroups (referred to as profiles) within a population, four common ways in which these three emotion dynamics cluster at the person level were identified. Testing for associations between flourishing and the observed profiles of emotion dynamics revealed that people with high levels of positive emotion that were stable over time were highest in flourishing, followed by low-intensity but variable positive emotions, followed by individuals with low-intensity positive emotions. By considering how three key emotion dynamic indices cluster within individuals, we find that understanding both the average intensity and the extent of stability in daily positive emotion is necessary for understanding flourishing.

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