Psychologist Susan Turk Charles, a researcher at University of California, Irvine, has found that overall emotional well-being generally increases with age. This means negative emotional experiences occur less often than positive experiences for older adults. It also means we increasingly pay attention to the positive and tend to let go of the negative.
As Charles told the Washington Post, “When I was an undergraduate, in the early ’90s, I was interested in development. At that time, the scientific literature was saying that our personality and emotions were fully developed by the time we are 18. I thought, ‘Wow, the next 50 years, nothing gets better? This is it?’ Then I took a class from Laura Carstensen at Stanford, and she was the first to say that there was more development after age 18. She was finding that unlike physical fitness or cognition, where you may see slowing or declines, emotional regulation and experience are often as good, if not better, as we age. I fell in love with the idea of studying a process related to aging that is not defined by decline.”
Charles and other researchers point to experience-based strategies developed over time as well as perspectives on the value of time left to live as the basis for age-related emotional well-being, while also recognizing vulnerabilities that may compromise it. Here are some strategies researchers found put to good use by older adults.
- Be present-focused, with an understanding that time left to live is limited—value it.
- Be content with your current status, while using self-awareness to strive toward future goals that can enhance satisfaction and purpose.
- Change the focus of your self evaluation, so as to not compare yourself to others, your past self, or your ideal self, and base it on appreciating who you are today.
- Considering the expected reduction of social partners with age, be proactive in choosing social partners who bring more satisfaction and with whom you can engage more closely, including family.
- Choose to think about the positive, the good, and the beautiful.
- Let go of negative situations, relationships, or experiences that have occurred in the past.
- In the future, as much as possible, reduce your exposure to negative information and situations.
ALICEhelps support your well-being. You can set up and engage in your private secure Care Community and connect through your Community Hub, easily asking for help and being encouraged. Track the milestones of your social and health experiences in your Timeline, connecting events to give understanding of who you are to those caring for you.