How do time of day and location influence affect experience? A passive sensing study
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Momentary emotional experience is shaped by the contexts in which individuals are embedded, yet little is known about how time spent in certain locations (e.g., at home versus in public spaces) relates to affect in daily life. In the current study, 74 young adults completed 14 days of smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment and GPS-based geolocation. We examined three contextual dimensions in relation to momentary affect (happiness, anxiety, and sadness) in young adults: environmental context (at home versus outside), recent exposure duration (time spent at home in the preceding three hours), and temporal context (time of day and day of week). Multilevel models indicated that participants reported higher happiness and lower anxiety in the evening relative to morning, and higher happiness on weekends than on weekdays. Within individuals, being at home (and time spent at home) was associated with lower happiness than being outside the home. Furthermore, the exploratory analysis suggested that the association between time spent at home and lower happiness was stronger among individuals who typically spent less time at home. These findings suggest that temporal and environmental contexts are associated with momentary happiness, whereas environmental context was not associated with anxiety or sadness.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Institution: Boston University
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225817365
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