Emotion regulation in adulthood and old age: A cognitive aging perspective on strategy use and effectiveness

Although aging is associated with declines in domains such as physical health and cognitive abilities, a large body of research has provided evidence that older adults still report feeling positive. Prominent theories of emotional aging have suggested that this may be the result of increased emotion regulation abilities with age. Older adults are thought to choose and be more successful at certain strategies compared to younger adults. However, empirical evidence has not consistently supported all of the theoretical predictions. In this chapter, we discuss these predictions and how they relate specifically to aspects of cognitive aging. We will then discuss the evidence that both supports and refutes the claims made by these theories. Finally, we will attempt to reconcile the empirical findings with the theories to evaluate whether what we are seeing is actually age-related improvements, or evidence for stability and maintenance of emotional experience with age.