Emotion Regulation, Cognition, and Well-Being Across the Adult Lifespan

TL;DR

This paper examines how emotion regulation tactics affect cognition and well-being in adults of different ages, including those with cognitive impairments.

Contribution

The study reveals age-related differences in emotion regulation strategies and their cognitive demands, and links psychological well-being to cognitive function.

Findings

Positive-approaching ER tactics are reported as most demanding but linked to higher memory accuracy.

Older adults with MCI perceive ER strategies differently and use high-demand strategies less frequently.

Psychological well-being is positively associated with concurrent and future cognitive function in older adults.

Abstract

This symposium explores the multifaceted nature of emotion regulation (ER) and its relationship with cognition and well-being across the adult lifespan. Wolfe and Isaacowitz investigated the cognitive demand and outcomes of ER tactics in younger and older adults. They found that positive-approaching was self-reported as the most demanding tactic and was linked to the highest memory accuracy; yet, there were no differences in pupil dilation across tactics. Growney & English further examined cognitive demands of ER strategies in younger adults, cognitively normal (CN) older adults, and older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). They found that positive-emotion-enhancing strategies were perceived as less demanding and that younger and CN older adults, but not older adults with MCI, used high-demand strategies less frequently. Lai et al. explored whether ER abilities assessed in the lab align with success in daily life. Their results indicated minimal associations between lab and daily-life ER success across younger adults, CN older adults, and older adults with MCI, suggesting that lab-based assessments might capture different facets of ER ability. They also found age-related advantages in daily ER success, including among older adults with MCI. Finally, Britton et al. broadened this perspective by analyzing links between psychological well-being and cognitive function in older adulthood. They found that multiple components of well-being, including sense of purpose and self-acceptance, were significantly positively associated with both concurrent and future cognitive function, suggesting that psychological well-being may contribute to the cognitive resources involved in effective ER. Derek Isaacowitz will serve as a discussant.