Socioemotional Aging Research Articles

Survival rates and mortality risks of Plecturocebus cupreus at the California National Primate Research Center.

This article describes survivorship and explores factors affecting mortality risks in a captive colony of coppery titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus) housed at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), at UC Davis, in Davis, CA. We analyzed data collected on individuals since the colony's creation in the 1960s, with a sample of 600 animals with partially complete information (date of birth, age at death, body mass, parental lineage). We used three methods: (1) Kaplan-Meier regressions followed by a log-rank test to compare survival in male and female titi monkeys, (2) a breakpoint analysis to identify shifts in the survival curves, and (3) Cox regressions to test the effect of body mass change, parental pair tenure, and parental age on mortality risk. We found that males tend to have a longer median lifespan than females (14.9 and 11.4 years; p = 0.094) and that survival decreases earlier in males than in females during adulthood (9.8 and 16.2 years). A body mass loss of 10% from adulthood to the time of death led to a 26% higher risk of dying (p < 0.001) as compared to an individual with stable body mass. We found no evidence of sociobiological factors on mortality risks (parental age, parental pair tenure), but an exploratory analysis suggested that a higher rate of offspring conceptions increases mortality risks. This description of factors influencing survival and mortality in titi monkeys is a first step toward understanding aging in this species to consider titi monkeys as a primate model for socioemotional aging.

Social Frailty in Late Adulthood: Social Cognitive and Psychological Well-Being Correlates.

Social frailty poses a major threat to successful aging, but its social cognitive and psychological well-being correlates remain poorly understood. This cross-sectional study provides initial insights into whether social cognitive difficulties in older age are associated with social frailty, as well as how social frailty is linked to psychological characteristics known to be important for health and well-being. Ninety community-dwelling older adults completed measures of social frailty and social cognition (social perception, theory of mind, affective empathy, and informant-rated social behavior) as well as measures of psychological function known to be important for health and well-being, both positively (resilience and life satisfaction) and negatively (demoralization, social anxiety, and apathy). Measures of cognitive frailty, physical frailty, and depression were also administered to test the specificity of any observed relationships with social frailty. Both affective empathy and social behavior were predictive of increased social frailty, but social behavior emerged as the only unique predictor after controlling for covariates. Social frailty also predicted unique variance in all five measures of psychological well-being, and for three of these measures (demoralization, resilience, and life satisfaction), the effects remained significant even after adjusting for covariates. Findings are discussed in relation to models of socioemotional aging and frailty. Potential mechanisms linking social behavior to social capital in older age are identified, as well as how loss of social resources might both directly and indirectly impact well-being.

Мозг Homo sapiens XXI века: нейрофизиологические, нейроэкономические и нейросоциальные механизмы принятия решений

Systemic neurocognitive and neuroeconomic decision-making is becoming one of the greatest quality life problems of Homo sapiens in the 21st century. Human decision-making at neurocognitive, neurosocial and neuroeconomic levels has been investigated. Neuroplasticity management methods allow timely prevention of factors that reduce neuroplasticity, preserve factors of positive influence on neuroplasticity, and most importantly, timely use of combined methods of preserving and developing neuroplasticity of the human brain in practical healthcare (Romanchuk N. P., Moscow, 2016, Science and Education in the 21st Century). Modern science views man, humanity and the biosphere as a single system, with growing demographic, food and medical problems. The main engine of human longevity is when the microbiological memory of the microbiota remains stable, and the diet of functional (healthy) dietary nutrition and the structure of healthy biomicrobiota function almost unchanged. Healthy biomicrobiota provides stability of functioning and timely reprogramming in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, in the work of bidirectional intestinal-brain connections of the “cognitive and visceral brain”. The role of cortisol, estrogen, testosterone and oxytocin has been established - in age-related changes in brain functions, and in the process of cognitive and socio-emotional aging. Human brains are biological, biophysical, neurophysiological and medico-social paradigms of information exchange. Modern communications are multilevel, multi-paradigm and interdisciplinary models of information exchange. The introduction of copyright developments in the last decade has made it possible to form a system of algorithms and tools for managing neuroplasticity. The new competencies of psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology and psychoneuroimmunology play a strategic role in interdisciplinary science and interdisciplinary planning and decision-making. Qualified mind — creates and improves the cognitive potential of the brain. The “neurointerface stone” of H. sapiens self-esteem for self-actualization and self-realization of personality is self-discovery, self-development, self-control, self-realization. Brain H. sapiens working in the mode of genius (talent, creativity) requires the creation and maintenance of modern neurocommunications between the new cortex and the hippocampus (memory library, memory winchester), the formation of new structural-functional neurocommunications in brain H. sapiens that occur continuously throughout life from birth to super-longevity and have creative advantages in the era of modern neuroscience and neuromarketing.

Seeing the past through rose-colored glasses? Age differences in recounting a difficult memory

According to socioemotional aging theories, people better regulate their emotions in older age by reframing stressors and focusing on the positive aspects of difficult experiences. However, empirical results have been mixed. To address this gap, we examined age differences in the language use and cardiovascular reactivity of 188 adults (mean age=56, range=40-86) who relived an upsetting memory from their past. Consistent with theory, results revealed that older adults used significantly fewer negative emotion words and, among the negative emotions, marginally fewer words of anger, to describe their upsetting memory. Notably, however, there were no age differences in the expression of positive emotion or sadness. Controlling for education and cognitive function, greater expression of anger was associated with heightened systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity among older adults, not middle-aged individuals. Despite their expression of less negative emotion, older adults’ heart rate variability (HRV) dipped lower during disclosure than did middle-aged adults’. However, among those who used more positive emotion, sadness, and/or cognitive processing words, older adults no longer showed lower HRV than middle-aged participants. Overall, these results provide some evidence of positivity bias among older adults even when asked to recount a distressing personal memory, although this trend was not consistent for the expression of sadness or positive emotion. Further, cardiovascular responses appear more clearly tied to older adults’ level of engagement and emotional focus compared to their middle-aged counterparts’.

Feeling Out of Place: Internalized Age Stereotypes Are Associated With Older Employees’ Sense of Belonging and Social Motivation

Abstract Older employees are not only confronted with subtle negative stereotypes about cognitive decline, but they also tend to internalize these negative stereotypes (i.e., they agree with the idea that intellectual performance declines in old age and they feel affected by this decline). Previous research has shown that internalizing negative age stereotypes has detrimental effects on work-related outcomes. Little is known about how internalized negative stereotypes shape older employees’ social emotions and social motivation. In the present research, we argue that older adults who internalize negative age stereotypes feel insecure about their belongingness in the workplace and this has negative motivational consequences. Four out of five studies and an aggregate analysis with a total of N = 1,306 older employees (age 50–76 years) supported this hypothesis. Internalized age stereotypes were negatively related to social approach motivation toward coworkers through reduced sense of belonging in the workplace and low positive affect. In addition, internalized age stereotypes were positively related to social avoidance motivation. Investigations of the causality of these relationships revealed mixed results. We discuss these findings from the perspective of socioemotional aging and the need to belong. In sum, the present research adds to knowledge on the role of internalized negative stereotypes for older employees’ social lives and, potentially, their success in the work domain.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of age-related differences in instructed emotion regulation success.

The process model of emotion regulation (ER) is based on stages in the emotion generative process at which regulation may occur. This meta-analysis examines age-related differences in the subjective, behavioral, and physiological outcomes of instructed ER strategies that may be initiated after an emotional event has occurred; attentional deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation. Within-process strategy, stimulus type, and valence were also tested as potential moderators of the effect of age on ER. A systematic search of the literature identified 156 relevant comparisons from 11 studies. Few age-related differences were found. In our analysis of the subjective outcome of response modulation strategies, young adults used expressive enhancement successfully (g = 0.48), but not expressive suppression (g = 0.04). Response modulation strategies had a small positive effect among older adults, and enhancement vs suppression did not moderate this success (g = 0.31 and g = 0.10, respectively). Young adults effectively used response modulation to regulate subjective emotion in response to pictures (g = 0.41) but not films (g = 0.01). Older adults were able to regulate in response to both pictures (g = 0.26) and films (g = 0.11). Interestingly, both age groups effectively used detached reappraisal, but not positive reappraisal to regulate emotional behavior. We conclude that, in line with well-established theories of socioemotional aging, there is a lack of evidence for age differences in the effects of instructed ER strategies, with some moderators suggesting more consistent effectiveness for older compared to younger adults.

The moderating effects of aging and cognitive abilities on the association between work stress and negative affect

ABSTRACTObjectives: Given that the association between work stress and negative affect can exacerbate negative health and workplace outcomes, it is important to identify the protective and risk factors that moderate this association. Socioemotional aging and cognitive abilities might influence how people utilize emotion regulation skills and engage in practical problem solving to manage their work stress. The aim of this study is to examine whether age and cognitive abilities independently and interactively moderate the association between work-related stress and negative affect.Method: A diverse working adult sample (N = 139, age 25–65, 69% of females) completed a cross-sectional survey that assessed chronic work stress, negative affect, and fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities.Results: Results from regression analyses suggested that both fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities, but not age, moderated the association between work stress and negative affect. Further, we found that crystallized cognition had a stronger attenuating effect on the work stress—negative affect association for older compared to younger workers. The moderating effect of fluid cognition was invariant across age.Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that cognitive abilities are an important personal resource that might protect individuals against the negative impacts of work stress and negative affect. Although the role that fluid cognition plays in work stress—negative affect association is comparably important for both younger and older workers, crystallized cognition might play a more valuable role for older than younger workers.

Age differences and longitudinal change in the effects of data collection mode on self-reports of psychosocial functioning.

The current study investigated age differences and longitudinal change in mode effects, wherein individuals report less negative and more positive psychosocial functioning with data collection modes that have greater (vs. less) direct contact with interviewers (e.g., in-person interviews vs. telephone interviews). Using 2 longitudinal datasets, the Later Life Study of Social Exchanges (LLSSE) and Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA), we tested how mode effects may vary with cohort (baseline age differences) and maturational development (longitudinal change). In Study 1, LLSSE participants (65-90 years old) completed in-person and telephone interviews assessing negative and positive aspects of psychosocial functioning across 2 years. The data collection mode with greater direct contact with interviewers (in-person interviews) was associated with reporting less negative and more positive psychosocial functioning compared to the mode with less direct contact (telephone interviews). These mode effects were more pronounced with older baseline age, but only for the negative psychosocial measures. Mode effects also became stronger over time for reports of negative affect. In Study 2, SATSA participants (38-86 years old) completed mailed questionnaires and questionnaires collected in-person that assessed depressive symptoms and positive affect across 18 years. Consistent with Study 1, participants reported fewer depressive symptoms and more positive affect with greater (vs. less) direct contact with interviewers (questionnaires collected in-person vs. mailed questionnaires). For reports of depressive symptoms, but not positive affect, mode effects were more pronounced with age and time. Together, the results underscore how mode effects may contribute to inconsistent findings in the socioemotional aging literature.

Hormones as "difference makers" in cognitive and socioemotional aging processes.

Aging is associated with well-recognized alterations in brain function, some of which are reflected in cognitive decline. While less appreciated, there is also considerable evidence of socioemotional changes later in life, some of which are beneficial. In this review, we examine age-related changes and individual differences in four neuroendocrine systems—cortisol, estrogen, testosterone, and oxytocin—as “difference makers” in these processes. This suite of interrelated hormonal systems actively coordinates regulatory processes in brain and behavior throughout development, and their level and function fluctuate during the aging process. Despite these facts, their specific impact in cognitive and socioemotional aging has received relatively limited study. It is known that chronically elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol exert neurotoxic effects on the aging brain with negative impacts on cognition and socioemotional functioning. In contrast, the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone appear to have neuroprotective effects in cognitive aging, but may decrease prosociality. Higher levels of the neuropeptide oxytocin benefit socioemotional functioning, but little is known about the effects of oxytocin on cognition or about age-related changes in the oxytocin system. In this paper, we will review the role of these hormones in the context of cognitive and socioemotional aging. In particular, we address the aforementioned gap in the literature by: (1) examining both singular actions and interrelations of these four hormonal systems; (2) exploring their correlations and causal relationships with aspects of cognitive and socioemotional aging; and (3) considering multilevel internal and external influences on these hormone systems within the framework of explanatory pluralism. We conclude with a discussion of promising future research directions.

Mindfulness and the aging brain: a proposed paradigm shift.

There has been a proliferation of cognitive training studies investigating the efficacy of various cognitive training paradigms as well as strategies for improving cognitive control in the elderly. While some have found support for the transfer of training, the majority of training studies show modest to no transfer effects. When transfer effects have been observed, the mechanisms contributing to enhanced functioning have been difficult to dissociate. In this review, we provide a theoretical rationale for the study of mindfulness in older adults as a particular type of training program designed to improve cognitive control by capitalizing on older adults’ acquired behavioral orientation toward higher socioemotional goals. Given the synergistic relationship between emotional and cognitive control processes, the paradoxical divergence in older adults’ functional trajectory in these respective domains, and the harmonious interplay of cognitive and emotional control embedded in the practice of mindfulness, we propose mindfulness training as an opportunistic approach to cultivating cognitive benefits in older adults. The study of mindfulness within aging, we argue, capitalizes on a fundamental finding of the socioemotional aging literature, namely the preferential change in motivational goals of older adults from ones involving future-oriented wants and desires to present-focused emotion regulation and gratification.

Aging: Commentary: Change in Perceptions of Personality Disorder in Late Life: The View From Socioemotional Aging

Cooper, Balsis, and Oltmanns (2014) present evidence that older adults view changes in their own levels of personality disorders, but that their informants do not report such positive changes. In this commentary, the author considers these provocative findings in light of current theory and research from socioemotional aging on emotion-cognition links and how they might vary as a function of age.

Age, stress, and emotional complexity: results from two studies of daily experiences.

Experiencing positive and negative emotions together (i.e., co-occurrence) has been described as a marker of positive adaptation during stress and a strength of socioemotional aging. Using data from daily diary (N = 2,022; ages 33-84) and ecological momentary assessment (N = 190; ages 20-80) studies, we evaluate the utility of a common operationalization of co-occurrence, the within-person correlation between positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). Then we test competing predictions regarding when co-occurrence will be observed and whether age differences will be present. Results indicate that the correlation is not an informative indicator of co-occurrence. Although correlations were stronger and more negative when stressors occurred (typically interpreted as lower co-occurrence), objective counts of emotion reports indicated that positive and negative emotions were 3 to 4 times more likely to co-occur when stressors were reported. This suggests that co-occurrence reflects the extent to which negative emotions intrude on typically positive emotional states, rather than the extent to which people maintain positive emotions during stress. The variances of both PA and NA increased at stressor reports, indicating that individuals reported a broader not narrower range of emotion during stress. Finally, older age was associated with less variability in NA and a lower likelihood of co-occurring positive and negative emotions. In sum, these findings cast doubt on the utility of the PA-NA correlation as an index of emotional co-occurrence, and question notion that greater emotional co-occurrence represents either a typical or adaptive emotional state in adults.

Aging in Culture

This article reviews the empirical studies that test socioemotional aging across cultures. The review focuses on comparisons between Western (mostly North Americans and Germans) and Eastern cultures (mostly Chinese) in areas including age-related personality, social relationships, and cognition. Based on the review, I argue that aging is a meaning-making process. Individuals from each cultural context internalize cultural values with age. These internalized cultural values become goals that guide adult development. When individuals from different cultures each pursue their own goals with age, cultural differences in socioemotional aging occur.

Oxytocin and socioemotional aging: Current knowledge and future trends.

The oxytocin (OT) system is involved in various aspects of social cognition and prosocial behavior. Specifically, OT has been examined in the context of social memory, emotion recognition, cooperation, trust, empathy, and bonding, and—though evidence is somewhat mixed-intranasal OT appears to benefit aspects of socioemotional functioning. However, most of the extant data on aging and OT is from animal research and human OT research has focused largely on young adults. As such, though we know that various socioemotional capacities change with age, we know little about whether age-related changes in the OT system may underlie age-related differences in socioemotional functioning. In this review, we take a genetic-neuro-behavioral approach and evaluate current evidence on age-related changes in the OT system as well as the putative effects of these alterations on age-related socioemotional functioning. Looking forward, we identify informational gaps and propose an Age-Related Genetic, Neurobiological, Sociobehavioral Model of Oxytocin (AGeNeS-OT model) which may structure and inform investigations into aging-related genetic, neural, and sociocognitive processes related to OT. As an exemplar of the use of the model, we report exploratory data suggesting differences in socioemotional processing associated with genetic variation in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) in samples of young and older adults. Information gained from this arena has translational potential in depression, social stress, and anxiety-all of which have high relevance in aging—and may contribute to reducing social isolation and improving well-being of individuals across the lifespan.

Is there an age-related positivity effect in visual attention? A comparison of two methodologies.

Research suggests a positivity effect in older adults' memory for emotional material, but the evidence from the attentional domain is mixed. The present study combined 2 methodologies for studying preferences in visual attention, eye tracking, and dot-probe, as younger and older adults viewed synthetic emotional faces. Eye tracking most consistently revealed a positivity effect in older adults' attention, so that older adults showed preferential looking toward happy faces and away from sad faces. Dot-probe results were less robust, but in the same direction. Methodological and theoretical implications for the study of socioemotional aging are discussed.

An Attentional Perspective on Successful Socioemotional Aging: Theory and Preliminary Evidence

What are the information-processing mechanisms that underlie successful affect regulation across the life span? Recent evidence suggests a rather positive view of affect regulation into late life, and socioemotional selectivity theory has been proposed as a motivational account that may help explain these findings. In particular, the theory argues that emotions and their regulation become more salient as people age. After reviewing recent evidence primarily concerning emotional memory in late life, a theoretical rationale is presented for investigating the role of attention to emotional stimuli as a mechanism for understanding successful affect regulation across the adult life span. Then, a program of research using eye tracking to study these attentional processes is described, and initial results are presented suggesting that there may be both age and individual difference effects on attention to emotional stimuli in adulthood.