Emotion Regulation In Old Age: Key To Well-being

The correct regulation of emotions in old age is an exercise in health and well-being. Interestingly, something that has been found in several studies is that beyond physical and cognitive decline, older adults are, on average, much more in tune with positive emotions. They value social relationships and also have greater control over their emotional universes.

The Swiss philosopher Henri-Frédéric Amiel used to say that knowing how to grow old is the masterpiece of sanity, and one of the most difficult parts of the great art of living. It is certainly not easy to reach old age with the same optimism as the young man who expects everything from life. However, older people are well aware that the key to happiness is not actually waiting. True well-being lies in looking at the present moment with humility, simplicity, and positivity.

This is what much of the work on gerontology reveals to us. In old age, faced with the objective deterioration of one’s own body and the progressive decline of one’s own faculties, the person enhances a sense of subjective happiness worthy of admiration. Correct emotional regulation in the autumn of life is therefore usually evident in a good part of the population, thus allowing a better adaptation to the reality of aging.

The regulation of emotions in old age, latest discoveries

The study of the regulation of emotions in old age is a relatively new field. However, in view of the increasing life expectancy, it is clear that this population sector is going to have a great weight in our society in the coming decades. Thus, an essential challenge that we all face is to be able to reach these advanced ages in the best possible state. And we are not just talking about physical well-being. We are referring first of all to the emotional plane.

The field of aging research is maturing by leaps and bounds. Just as a curiosity, Dr. Derek Isaacowitzel, an expert in the field of emotions at Yale University, has developed a technology to study the attentional biases of older people. These are glasses that record those stimuli that attract the attention of their patients to later analyze their emotional reaction.

Something that has been proven is that in 90% of cases the elderly are much more interested in faces that show positive emotions. That preference, that constant search for the smiling face, the warm look or the kind word helps them to self-regulate their own emotions. Experts believe that it is as if the brain acts as a cognitive mediator by focusing attention on these stimuli in order to reduce negative emotions and become impregnated with positivity.

Emotions do not deteriorate with the aging process

With old age what happens above all is a change in motivations. Those long-term goals are restricted to investing in a better quality of life in the present. Therefore, the regulation of emotions in old age has a very specific purpose, a very defined motivation: to optimize emotional experiences to enjoy balance, internal calm, relationships with friends and family.

• All this in turn constitutes what is known as the paradox of well-being in old age. In other words, however striking it may be to us, older people present, on average, greater life satisfaction than younger people. That this is the case is due to those abilities to regulate their emotions, a mechanism that, on the other hand, does not present a parallel deterioration so evident to that of cognitive processes.
• We know, for example, that aging mainly affects the frontal lobes, where our capacity for attention, problem solving, planning, etc. resides. However, emotions and our ability to interact with our environment through looks, smiles and reacting positively to affection, is something that remains intact. Something that subsists such serious and sad diseases as Alzheimer’s.

Old age makes us more selective

In many cases, when you are young, you hardly filter your reality. One lets everything come, one yearns to experiment, to feel with open arms and a willing heart. However, as we mature, we begin to put filters and even palisades. Now, when that threshold that leads us to the autumn of life is crossed, a new vision appears. The palisades are dropped and the filters are more select. It seeks to prioritize and focus attention on everything that can provide us with well-being and not problems.

In this way, as the psychologist and researcher Heiner Ellgring  from the Max Planck Institute in Munich explains to us , in his book “The motives and emotions of old age”, older adults focus their attention on three aspects:

• Enjoy relationships with your family and friends.
• Invest in your health.
• Take care of and enjoy your resources (house, garden, field, animals …).

A positive life for the elderly person is based on attending to these aspects. Subjective happiness resides in these three factors, the most important being the social, relational and affective aspect. Therefore, aging healthy resides in being selective and having clear priorities, where the need to enjoy positive emotions on a daily basis is undoubtedly a priority.