Mental time travel through uncertainty: Age differences in the effect of daily control beliefs on threat appraisals during 2020

The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election occurred during a period of historic uncertainty, shaped by a global pandemic and intensified social justice movements. This study used that unique context to examine mental time travel through the lens of perceived control and daily threat appraisals. A diverse sample of 214 adults ( M age = 49.13, SD age = 14.79, range 21–78) completed a 21-day online daily diary study spanning the pre- and post-election period, with the day the election was declared serving as the inflection point from uncertainty to certainty. Each day, participants rated their sense of control and perceived threats across multiple domains, including the election, social justice issues, and pandemic-related stressors. Results from multilevel models revealed clear age-related patterns. Older adults showed consistently lower threat appraisals on days when control beliefs were high, both before and after the election was called. In contrast, younger adults derived less benefit from control beliefs in the post-election period, particularly regarding election and social justice threats. Older adults also reported reduced COVID-19-related threat, though this was not directly linked to control. These findings highlight how age and mental time travel shape daily experiences of uncertainty and emphasize the enduring value of control beliefs across key life stages.