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Variety in Positive Experience and Mental Health: Evidence From Two National Surveys of U.S. Adults


 Scheduling of pleasant activities is a core treatment component for various psychiatric disorders, but little is known about whether variety in positive experiences is associated with improved mental health and well-being. Here we demonstrate the benefits of diverse positive experiences. Using data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) II (N = 1,233, Mage = 57yrs) and Refresher (N = 855, Mage = 52yrs) cohorts, we show that greater variety of positive events is associated with lower depression and anxiety, and fewer visits to mental health professionals. These associations remained robust to differences in sociodemographics (age, gender, race, education), personality (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism), and the frequency of positive events, and the results replicated across the two cohorts. The findings highlight the importance of activity diversity in older adults and suggest that efforts to increase engagement in diverse positive experiences could have beneficial effects on mental health outcomes.