a day in the lives of older adults: what makes them happy?

The aim of the present study was to examine how older adults (N = 84; 51 females; aged 65 to 91 years) in Slovenia spend their time and what they experience throughout the day. The contribution of these activities and their experiences to participants’ subjective well-being was also explored. Using the Day Reconstruction Method, the participants reported how much time during the preceding day they spent in different activities, the level of hedonia (presence of positive and absence of negative emotionality) and eudaimonia (meaning, focus, usefulness) experienced during each activity in the past day, and their general satisfaction with the day. In addition, they assessed their overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Vast individual differences in time-use and in subjective perceptions of various activities were revealed. Overall, certain activities were related to older adults’ well-being, although it seems that subjective perceptions of activities are more important than activities themselves.