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Affective variability prospectively predicts higher affective well-being, but only when people feel low.

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ₂ at the day and year level. In addition, this association was significantly moderated by initial levels of affective well-being and by neuroticism, although the evidence for the latter was limited. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between within-person processes and between-person differences: Experiencing greater affective variability relative to others may indicate a lower level of overall affective well-being. At the same time, experiencing greater affective variability when feeling lower than usual may signal the potential for improvement in one's affective experience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Source: Emotion

DOI: 10.1037/emo0001633

Authors: Mario Wenzel, Whitney R. Ringwald, Aleksandra Kaurin, Oliver Tüscher, Thomas Kubiak, Aidan G. C. Wright