Age Differences in Adults' Emotional Motivations for Exposure to Films

Participants in three age ranges (younger adults, 18–25, N = 188; middle adults, 26–49, N = 92; and older adults, 50 and over, N = 93) completed a questionnaire assessing motivations for everyday affective experiences as well as affective motivations for film viewing. In line with Arnett's (2000) Arnett, J. 2000. Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55: 469–480. Crossref], PubMed], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar] view of emerging adulthood and Carstensen, Isaacowitz, and Charles's (1999) Carstensen, L., Isaacowitz, D. and Charles, S. 1999. Taking time seriously: A theory of socioemotional selectivity. American Psychologist, 54: 165–181. Taylor & Francis Online], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar] theory of socioemotional selectivity, younger adults expressed the greatest interest in experiencing negative emotions in their everyday lives, in viewing dark, creepy, or violent content, and in viewing media to escape boredom and for amusement; older adults were most interested in experiencing emotional stability and in viewing films with uplifting, heartwarming content. Results suggest that lifespan differences may help explain the allure of hedonically negative programming among some groups.