THEATRE AUDIENCE MEMBERS’ POSITIVE AFFECT BELONGING SOCIAL INTERACTION AND FLOW RELATED TO 2-YEAR WELL-BEING

摘要

Late adulthood can offer greater life satisfaction, lower stress, and fewer mental disorders than earlier decades, but optimal aging still characterizes only a minority of older adults. Understanding how older adults achieve well-being can illuminate targets for increasing optimal aging. This study examined how attending live theatre relates to well-being for some older adults. Fifty-five regular theatre patrons 60 and over (mean age 66.13, SD=4.61) reported their experience after each play attended across two seasons. Using a previously tested conceptual framework, we hypothesized that patrons reporting belonging, social interaction, enjoyment, or experiencing flow during the performances would report higher positive affect, and that positive affect, flow experiences, social interaction, and sense of belonging would predict well-being across the two years of the study. We tested the first hypothesis with repeated measures mixed effects models. Initial individual differences in affect, sense of belonging, flow, and social engagement significantly predicted concurrent positive affect after performances. In prospective regression analyses, positive affect reported after performances and summed over two seasons significantly predicted change in the Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-being, between baseline and the end of the second season (about 20 months later), R2 change= .07, F(1,35) = 14.592, p = .001, despite the fact that well-being was very stable. The results suggest that psychological benefits from arts engagement may include sense of belonging, flow, and social engagement. These benefits may increase well-being by increasing opportunities for promoting positive affect.