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Variety in Pleasant Activities is Associated with Improved Mental Health: Evidence from Two National Samples of U.S. Adults

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Abstract

Engaging in a wide range of pleasant activities may provide mental health benefits, particularly for those genetically predisposed to depression. This study examined associations between pleasant activity variety, mental health, and genetic vulnerability in two U.S. cohort studies (N = 2,088). Participants reported depressive symptoms, mental healthcare visits, and engagement in pleasant activities over the past month. Greater variety of pleasant activities was associated with fewer depressive symptoms in both study samples. Individuals engaging in more diverse pleasant activities also had fewer mental health visits. Individuals with a higher genetic risk for depression experienced a stronger negative association between variety of pleasant activities and depressive symptoms compared to those with a lower genetic risk. These results highlight the potential of diverse pleasant activities as a means to enhance well-being, particularly among individuals genetically susceptible to depression.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-4401, USA

    Anthony D. Ong

  2. Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, NY, USA

    Anthony D. Ong

  3. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA

    Soomi Lee

Authors
  1. Anthony D. Ong
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  2. Soomi Lee
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Correspondence to Anthony D. Ong.

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Funding

This research was supported, in part, by Grant P01-AG020166 from the National Institute on Aging to conduct a longitudinal follow-up of the MIDUS (Midlife in the United States) investigation. The original study was supported by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development. Outside of the current work, Soomi Lee discloses that she received grants from NIH (R56AG065251 and R01HL163226).

Conflicts of interest

None.

Availability of data and material

MIDUS data is publicly available from the ICPSR at the University of Michigan (https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/pages/) or through the MIDUS Colectica portal (see http://midus.wisc.edu/data/index.php).

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Procedures were approved by Institutional Review Boards at all study sites.

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All participants provided informed consent.

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Handling Editor: Shigehiro Oishi

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Ong, A.D., Lee, S. Variety in Pleasant Activities is Associated with Improved Mental Health: Evidence from Two National Samples of U.S. Adults. Affec Sci (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-023-00225-x

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