Aging and Positive Mood: Longitudinal Neurobiological and Cognitive Correlates

It is widely acknowledged that aging is associated with more losses than gains, from physical and cognitive health to social losses. Despite adverse experiences and increased life stressors, older adults demonstrate remarkable emotional resilience (1, 2). While a number of theories exist offering possible insights into why emotional regulation is preserved in older adults, one of the most prevalent is the socioemotional selectivity theory (SST). The SST posits that individuals, when faced with time horizon constraints, mentally restructure motivational priorities such that emotionally gratifying experiences and relationships supersede novel experiences or knowledge-gathering activities (3).

Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - May 13, 2020 Category: Geriatrics Authors: DL Cotter, SM Walters, C Fonseca, A Wolf, Y Cobigo, EC Fox, M You, M Altendahl, N Djukic, AM Staffaroni, FM Elahi, JH Kramer, KB Casaletto, the Hillblom Aging Network Tags: Regular Research Article Source Type: research