Although older adults face significant health challenges, they tend to have better emotion regulation skills than younger or middle-age adults. Why is this so? And how might we use this knowledge to promote better health and well-being in adulthood and later life? This book explores the reciprocal relations between aging and emotion, as well as applications for promoting mental and physical health across the lifespan. The authors discuss the neural and cognitive mechanisms behind age-related shifts in affective experience and processing. In addition to presenting emotion regulation strategies for offsetting age-related declines in mental and physical functioning, the book examines the role of culture and motivation in shaping emotional experience across the lifespan, as well as the factors defining boundary conditions between human illness and human flourishing in old age. By highlighting these major advances in interdisciplinary research, the authors suggest promising avenues for intervention. Contents: Series Foreword John Eckenroade Volume Foreword Karl Pillemer Introduction Anthony D. Ong and Corinna E. Löckenhoff I. Neural and Cognitive Mechanisms Default Mode Network and Later-Life Emotion Regulation: Linking Functional Connectivity Patterns and Emotional Outcomes Mara Mather and Bruna MartinsAge Differences in Use and Effectiveness of Positivity in Emotion Regulation: The Sample Case of Attention Kimberly M. Livingstone and Derek M. Isaacowitz II. Regulatory Frameworks Resources for Emotion Regulation in Older Age: Linking Cognitive Resources With Cognitive Reappraisal Heather L. UrryRegulatory Flexibility and Adaptation to Highly Aversive Life Events Throughout the Lifespan Charles L. Burton and George A. Bonanno III. Motivational Perspectives Happy To Be Unhappy? Pro- and Contra-Hedonic Orientations From Adolescence to Old Age Michaela Riediger and Gloria LuongEmotional Aging in Different Cultures: Implications of Affect Valuation Theory Jeanne L. Tsai and Tamara Sims IV. Health Implications Bridging the Dynamic Aspects of Personality and Emotion that Influence Health Emily D. Bastarache and Daniel K. MroczekPositive Psychological Functioning: An Enduring Asset for Healthy Aging Laura D. Kubzansky and Julia K. BoehmEmotional Experience and Health: What We Know, and Where To Go From Here Susan T. Charles, Kate Leger, and Emily Urban V. Interventions The Humanization of Social Relations: Nourishment for Resilience in Midlife Alex J. Zautra, Frank J. Infurna, Eva Zautra, Carmen E. Gallardo, and Lilian Velasco About the Editors: Anthony D. Ong, PhD, is an associate professor of human development at Cornell University. He received his PhD from the University of Southern California. His research broadly focuses on individual differences in developmental plasticity or the capacity of individuals to flexibly adapt to changing life circumstances with age. A major focus of his recent work involves expanding basic understanding of the behavioral and biological pathways by which positive emotions, interpersonal relationships, and cultural experience contribute to diverse health outcomes in later adulthood. His research has been supported by the National Institute of Aging. Corinna E. Löckenhoff, PhD, is an associate professor of human development at Cornell University. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Marburg, Germany, and her PhD from Stanford University. Her National Institutes of Health-funded research examines age differences in personality and emotions and their influence on health-related decisions, behaviors, and outcomes. A central goal is to optimize health care choices across the lifespan. Another line of her research examines lifelong trajectories in personality traits and their relation to mental and physical health. |