Elders exhibit more positive emotions than youngsters: study

A study by a researcher at the Northeastern University in Boston says older people are happier than younger adults simply because they avert their eyes from things that are likely to upset them, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

Given the declines in cognitive functioning and physical health that tend to come with age, we might expect that age would be associated with worse moods, not better ones.

The researcher, Derek Isaacowitz, presented evidence which indicates that, compared to their younger peers, older adults prefer positive looking patterns.

Furthermore, they show the most positive looking when they are in bad moods, even though this is when younger adults show the most negative looking.

The study indicates that there is actually a causal relationship between positive looking and mood.

This means that for adults with good attentional abilities, positive looking patterns can help to regulate their mood and stop them from slipping into a malaise.

Although older adults prefer to focus on positive stimuli, the research shows that they aren't necessarily missing any salient or important information.

The findings were published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.