Age Difference in the Effect of Relationship Closeness on Interpersonal Escalating Commitment

Interpersonal escalating commitment is an individual’s continued investment in a social partner regardless of the receiver’s negative feedback. It reflects the effort that people devote into maintaining and managing interpersonal relationships. This study focused on the effect of relationship closeness on interpersonal escalating commitment among older and younger adults and the mediating role of emotional experiences. We performed a 2 (relationship closeness: close/distant) × 2 (age group: younger adults/older adults) mixed design. Forty-eight older adults (aged 60–82) and forty-nine younger adults (aged 18–28) were enrolled in this study. Participants completed eight interpersonal escalating commitment tasks that were derived from real-life situations. Participants’ final and average tendency to escalate commitment and emotional experiences was recorded. The within-subject mediation analysis results indicated that older adults showed a higher tendency to escalate commitment in close relationships through the mediation of positive emotional experiences; younger adults did not exhibit excessive interpersonal escalating commitment even though their final tendency to invest in distant relationships was relatively higher than in close relationships. Our findings revealed an age difference in the effect of relationship closeness on interpersonal escalating commitment and the driving mechanism of emotional experiences among older adults. It allowed us to understand the reasoning behind people’s seemingly irrational interpersonal investments from a perspective of lifespan motivation.