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Greater daily variability in cognition and mood predicts lower mean cognitive function in young adults

Poster Session F - Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Melanie A. Butt¹, Todd C. Handy¹; ¹University of British Columbia

In older adults, greater day-to-day variability in cognitive function appears to be associated with higher rates of cognitive decline, relative to those showing less daily cognitive variability. Such findings suggest that daily cognitive variability isn't simply measurement noise, but rather, vitally informs on cognitive status in older adults. But what about these dynamics in younger adults? Does daily variability in cognition potentially inform on cognitive wellness for those in their neurocognitive prime? Here we addressed this question using an experience sampling method to assess participants' subjective sense of their cognition and mood three times a day over 14 days in a sample of 215 young, healthy adults. After controlling for four baseline measures of cognition (metacognitive awareness, executive function, propensity for cognitive failures, and memory failures) and four baseline measures of mood (depression, state and trait anxiety, and loneliness), we found that not only did subjectively-assessed cognitive function show significant day-to-day variability across the sample population, but greater cognitive variability across the two-week period predicted lower mean function across the two weeks. While daily cognitive variability also showed a significant correlation with daily measures of both negative and positive mood, notably, some individuals were more resilient to these daily mood impacts on cognition than others. Taken together, our findings suggest that daily variability in cognition and mood may be important predictors for understanding cognitive wellness in younger adult populations.

Topic Area: EXECUTIVE PROCESSES: Other