# Personality moderates associations between personal time and parental well-being

## TL;DR

Midlife parents benefit emotionally and physiologically from daily personal time, especially those high in neuroticism or openness.

## Contribution

The study reveals that personality traits moderate the relationship between personal time and parental well-being.

## Key findings

- Personal time is linked to higher positive affect and lower negative affect in midlife parents.
- Parents with higher neuroticism and openness show stronger emotional benefits from personal time.
- Personal time is associated with healthier cortisol patterns, indicating better stress recovery.

## Abstract

This study aimed to examine whether daily personal time—time spent free from external demands and available for self-directed activities—relates to better affective well-being and healthier cortisol patterns in midlife parents, and whether personality traits moderate these associations. A sample of 318 parents (Mage = 40.06 years, SD = 7.54; 45% men) with underage children (Mage of youngest child = 7.61 years, SD = 5.19) completed up to 8 consecutive days of daily diaries (mood, personal time, stress exposure) and up to 4 days of saliva sampling (4 times/day) for cortisol analysis. Multilevel modeling examined within-person links between personal time, positive and negative affect, and diurnal cortisol slopes, controlling for daily stress. Results showed that on days when they had an opportunity for time to themselves, parents experienced higher positive affect, lower negative affect, and steeper cortisol slopes, indicating better stress recovery. The reduction in negative affect with personal time was stronger for parents high in neuroticism and openness, and high neuroticism was also linked with a stronger association between personal time and cortisol slopes. Findings underscore the potential restorative value of daily time to oneself for midlife parents, particularly those high in neuroticism and openness. In the context of the high demands of parenting, personal time may serve as a valuable resource for emotional renewal, solitude, self-care, self-connection, and recovery from daily parenting stress.

Over 8 days, 318 midlife parents tracked their emotions and stress hormones. On days with personal time, mood and stress recovery were improved—particularly for those high in neuroticism or openness— highlighting the benefits of daily “me time.”