Positive daily experiences can buffer the negative effects of daily stress: A conceptual replication

- Participants maintained a diary for two weeks.
- They described the events that occurred each day.
- Descriptions of events included how stressful or positive the event was.
- They also provided daily measures of well-being.
- Positive daily events buffered the negative effects of daily stress on well-being.

The present study replicates previous research demonstrating that daily positive events can buffer the effects of daily stress on well-being. The present study differs from previous research in two ways. First, we examined buffering effects among a sample of adults residing in the community. Previous research studied student samples. Second, we measured daily stress more directly (reports of events) than in previous studies (checklists). The present study replicated key findings from previous research. Within-person relationships between daily stress and daily well-being were weaker on days when daily events were more positive than on days when they were less positive. The results support the contention that positive daily experiences can buffer the negative effects of daily stress on daily well-being.