Climate change as a global phenomenon affects people of different places. However, not all people are equally impacted by climate-related risks. Older adults are especially susceptible to increasingly more extreme temperatures given their physiological (thermoregulatory) functions and health conditions. That said, it is important to acknowledge older adults' resilience to and their agency of the changing climate. This line of research attempts to enhance older adults' preparedness for climate change and maintain their health and well-being amid the global crisis.

Selected publication:

Lin, Z., Chin, D., Fung, H. H., Lay, J. C., & Tse, D. C. K. (2023). Hot instantaneous temperature and affect: Meaningful activities as a buffer for older adults with low socioeconomic status. Innovation in Aging, 7(6), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igad057

Flow experience is a psychological state characterised by concentration, engagement, and enjoyment. Besides other factors such as sense of meaning, it is considered by many theorists as one important component of a good life. This line of research examines the essence of the flow state, the dispositional factors facilitate it (autotelic personality), and its relation to meaningfulness in different contexts (vital engagement).

Selected publications:

Jiang, D., Tse, D. C. K., Gong, X., Tsang, V. H., Fung, H. H., Mann, A. S., ... & Tsai, J. L. (2024). Reducing discrepancies between actual and ideal affect across adulthood: the roles of activity flow conduciveness, pleasantness, and familiarity. Cognition and Emotion. Advance online publication, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2024.2367782

Tse, D. C. K., Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2022). Flow experiences across adulthood: Preliminary findings on the continuity hypothesis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 23, 2517-2540. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-022-00514-5

Tse, D. C. K., Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2021). Living well by “flowing” well: The indirect effect of autotelic personality on well-being through flow experience. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 16(3), 310-321. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2020.1716055

Tse, D. C. K., Lau, W., Perlman, R., & McLaughlin, M. (2020). The development and validation of the Autotelic Personality Questionnaire. Journal of Personality Assessment, 102(1), 88-101. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2018.1491855

Tse, D. C. K., Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2020). Beyond challenge-seeking and skill-building: Toward the lifespan developmental perspective on flow theory. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(2), 171-182. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1579362

Tse, D. C. K., Fung, H. H. L., Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2018). Teamwork and flow proneness mitigate the negative effect of excess challenge on flow state. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(3), 284-289. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2016.1257059

Many people view ageing as a process characterised by an inevitable decline in physical and cognitive functions. We reject this one-size-fits-all ageist view of development in late adulthood and see positive ageing as an alternative trajectory that older adults can land on. We also explore how intergenerational engagement can help reduce ageism and contribute to the positive ageing process.

Selected publications:

Shenkman, G., Shrira, A., Kornadt, A. E., Neupert, S. D., Tse, D. C. K., Can, R., & Palgi, Y. (2024). Cultural differences in daily coupling of subjective views of aging and negative affect. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 79(9). https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbae124 

Tse, D. C. K., Finley, K. P., Crawford, L. F., & Nakamura, J. (2024). Capturing successful aging in daily life: Exploring the intensive longitudinal findings from a US national sample. The Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnae121

Chu, L., Fung, H. H., Tse, D. C. K., Tsang, V. H., Zhang, H., & Mai, C. (2021). Obtaining information from different sources matters during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gerontologist, 61(2), 187-195. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa222

Boeder, J., & Tse, D. C. K. (2021). Measuring self-perceptions of aging: Best practices for predicting various types of health outcomes. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 76(5), 825-835. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa064

Boeder, J., Tse, D. C. K., Fruiht, V., & Chan, T. (2020). Medium matters: A decade of media consumption predicts positive and negative dimensions of self-perceptions of aging. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 76(7), 1360-1366. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa229

Many people consider a contribution to the greater good as an indicator of thriving and flourishing in life. This view is consistent with the many studies revealing the health and wellbeing benefits of volunteerism. Our work investigates what motivates people to volunteer and commit to prosocial activities, and the costs/unanticipated effects of volunteerism and prosocial acts on people of different ages.

Selected publications:

Mann, A. S., Boeder, J., Tse, D. C. K., Graham, L., & Nakamura, J. (2022). Solitary prosociality in later life: An experience sampling study. Research on Aging, 44(9–10), 724–733. https://doi.org/10.1177/01640275211062124

Nakamura, J., Tse, D. C. K., & Mann, A. S. (2021). Quality of experience in prosocial activity as predictor of intent to continue: An experience sampling study. Psychology and Aging, 37(2), 190-196. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000658

Tse, D. C. K., Lau, V. W., Hong, Y., Bligh, M. C., & Kakarika, M. (2021). Prosociality and hoarding amid the COVID-19 pandemic: A tale of four countries. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 32(3), 507-520. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2516

Tse, D. C. K. (2020). Volunteers’ felt respect and its associations with retention, daily affect, long-term well-being, and mortality. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 75(8), 1625–1636. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gby117 (Editor’s choice)

Studies have indicated that engaging in social interactions are generally more enjoyable than being alone. Nevertheless, solitude remains an inevitable part in life even at this age of "hyper-connectivity". Our line of research investigates whether we can distinguish the "good"/benign type of solitude from the "bad"/harmful one and be resilient to loneliness even when we are alone.

Selected publications:

Tse, D. C. K., Joseph, A., & Sweeny, K. (2024). Alone but flowing: The effects of autotelic personality and extraversion on solitary flow. Journal of Personality, 00, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12938.  

Lay, J. C., Ho, Y. W., Tse, D. C. K., Tse, J. T., & Jiang, D. (2024). Misremembering solitude: The role of personality and cultural self‐concepts in shaping discrepancies between recalled and concurrent affect in solitude. Journal of Personality. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12971 

Tsang, V. H., Tse, D. C. K., Chu, L., Fung, H. H., Mai, C., & Zhang, H. (2022). The mediating role of loneliness on relations between face-to-face and virtual interactions and psychological well-being across age: A 21-day diary study. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 46(6), 500–509. https://doi.org/10.1177/01650254221132775. 

Mann, A. S., Boeder, J., Tse, D. C. K., Graham, L., & Nakamura, J. (2022). Solitary prosociality in later life: An experience sampling study. Research on Aging, 44(9-10), 724-733. https://doi.org/10.1177/01640275211062124

Tse, D. C. K., Lay, J., & Nakamura, J. (2021). Autonomy matters: Implications on chosen and unchosen solitude from three experience sampling studies. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 13(5), 895-995. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506211048066

We are actively exploring different research directions alongside our existing projects. One active area undergoing development is the use of positive psychology concepts and interventions to address greater societal issues such as sexism. Other areas include political engagement, immigration, ageing preparation, and more. We welcome you to find out the various ways to get involved in our discussion and exploration.