Managing Daily Happiness: The Relationship Between Selection, Optimization, and Compensation Strategies and Well-Being in Adulthood

Past work on selective optimization and compensation (SOC) has focused on between-persons differences and its relationship with global well-being. However, less work examines within-person SOC variation. This study examined whether variation over 7 days in everyday SOC was associated with happiness in a sample of 145 adults ages 22-94. Age differences in this relationship, the moderating effects of health, and lagged effects were also examined. On days in which middle-age and older adults and individuals with lower health used more SOC, they also reported greater happiness. Lagged effects indicated lower happiness led to greater subsequent SOC usage.