Being Social May Be Purposeful in Older Adulthood: A Measurement Burst Design

Objective: Sense of purpose predicts a wide array of positive health, cognitive, and well-being outcomes during older adulthood. However, work is limited regarding how social relations correspond to purposefulness in daily life. The current study explored daily social interactions as a route to daily purposeful-ness in older adults, using a measurement burst design. Methods: Older adults completed surveys for three 5-day bursts each spread 6 months apart (Mage = 70.75, SD = 7.23; N = 104). Results: Multilevel models demonstrated that on days when individuals reported more positive social interactions, they reported feeling more purposeful (est. = 0.39, 95% CI [0.28, 0.51]) when accounting for health, employment, and relationship status. Employment status moderated this association, as daily social interactions were more strongly associated with daily purpose for unemployed/retired individuals (est. =-0.23, 95% CI [-0.38,-0.08]). Conclusion: Positive social interactions thus may help older adults maintain purposefulness, particularly after retirement.