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Routinization and Emotional Well-Being: An Experience Sampling Investigation in an Elderly French Sample

Department of Psychology, University of Bordeaux, France.

Address correspondence to Dr. Joel Swendsen, Department of Psychology, University of Bordeaux II, 3 ter, Place de la Victoire, 33076 Bordeaux, France. E-mail: joel.swendsen{at}psycho.u-bordeaux2.fr

This investigation examined the predictive validity of routinization preference measures, as well as the association of routinization to state affect in daily life. The authors collected naturalistic repeated observations from elderly participants living in private residences or retirement homes. Preferences for routinization were significantly associated with the repetition of both behaviors and environmental contexts. Routines were associated with decreases in positive affect in within-person analyses but had no association to anxious or depressed mood states. The findings are discussed in terms of the complexity of the routinization concept and its relevance for understanding emotional well-being in elderly people.