As We Age, Emotionally, We Get Better

So there's research showing that as we age, emotionally, we get better.

A psychologist at the University Of California has been monitoring the moods of people of all ages, concentrating especially on how we handle things as we get older.

The first question was why do we, as we age, get better at managing emotions.  Some scientists believe that as we age, we process information a little slower, which makes us think before we act, instead of reacting quickly.  There also evidence that older folks have a positive bias, even without realizing it.  "Don't sweat the small stuff".  As we get older, we let go of a situation we think as negative, especially with friends and family.

The next question was, is there an age at which we reach a peak in emotional satisfaction?  Research says that peaks vary, but, in terms of the highest positive and negative emotions, it's between the ages of 55 and 70.  Only after 75 do negative emotions start to increase.

The next question was why do some people not experience improvements?  Health has a lot to do with it.  If there is a lot of pain or stressors, people don't feel the benefits.

The research asked 2500 people every night over eight days about their minor stressors.  About 10% reported never having even one stressor.  They were happier than the people that reported just one stressor.  But, they also performed worse on cognitive tests compared to folks that had the one stressor.

The research also showed that older people benefitted from having strong social ties, but people vary in the number of close friends they have and how much time they spend with others.