At the Intersection of Emotion and Cognition: Aging and the Positivity Effect
Abstract
Divergent trajectories characterize the aging mind: Processing capacity declines, while judgment, knowledge, and emotion regulation are relatively spared. We maintain that these different developmental trajectories have implications for emotion–cognition interactions. Following an overview of our theoretical position, we review empirical studies indicating that (a) older adults evidence superior cognitive performance for emotional relative to non-emotional information, (b) age differences are most evident when the emotional content is positively as opposed to negatively valenced, and (c) differences can be accounted for by changes in motivation posited in socioemotional selectivity theory.
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Socioemotional selectivity theory proposes that when people adopt a limited-time perspective, they tend to emphasize their more positive interpersonal experiences in the present over negative experiences that serve longer-term goals.
“One way to understand that shift in goals comes from socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) [138,139], which proposes that when people adopt a limited-time perspective, they tend to emphasize their more positive interpersonal experiences in the present over negative experiences that serve longer-term goals.”
From An Appreciative View of the Brighter Side of Terror Management Processes (2015) · cites this paper as [138]
Awareness of the impending end of one's life may cause people to shift their defensive efforts away from self-enhancement and toward maintaining meaningful and positive social connections.
“Awareness of the impending end of one's life may cause people to shift their defensive efforts away from self-enhancement and toward maintaining meaningful and positive social connections [138].”
From An Appreciative View of the Brighter Side of Terror Management Processes (2015) · cites this paper as [138]
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“The work we describe below is grounded in socioemotional selectivity theory, a life-span theory of how time horizons shape human motivation ( Carstensen, Isaacowitz, & Charles, 1999 ).”
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- Authors
- Carstensen, L. L., & Mikels, J. A.
- Affiliations
- Stanford University (US)
- Venue
- Current Directions in Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2005-06
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 117-121
- ISSN
- 0963-7214 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-8721
- OpenAlex
- W2163646566
- Cited by
- 1,007
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 33 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 40 · 2021: 68 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 64 · 2018: 45 · 2017: 72 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 77 · 2014: 77 · 2013: 50 · 2012: 65
- FWCI
- 28.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Current Directions in Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Keywords
- emotion-cognition interaction, aging, older adults, emotion regulation, cognitive aging, emotional processing, valence, motivation, socioemotional selectivity theory, age differences
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