Beyond strategies: The when and why of emotion regulation in aging

Derek M. Isaacowitz, Tammy English

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Most research to date on potential age differences in emotion regulation has focused on whether older adults differ from younger adults in how they manage their emotions. We argue for a broader consideration of the possible effects of aging on emotion regulation by moving beyond tests of age differences in strategy use to also consider when and why emotion regulation takes place. That is, we encourage deeper consideration of contextual factors that spark regulation as well as the goals and motives underlying individuals’ attempts to regulate their emotions. There may be age-related variation in all, some, or none of these components of emotion regulation. Descriptive work across all dimensions of emotion regulation is necessary to test and refine theories of emotional aging.

Original languageEnglish
Article number101763
JournalCurrent Opinion in Psychology
Volume56
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2024

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Beyond strategies: The when and why of emotion regulation in aging'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this