Look on the bright side of life
Some are in declining health, losing mobility and independence, so why are so many seniors happy? Research shows the key may lie in positive thinking. The latest study, by Dr Laura Carsetensen at Stanford University in California, shows the golden years are often the happiest, and explains how this phenomenon takes place in the brain.
Some are in declining health, losing mobility and independence, so why are so many seniors happy? Research shows the key may lie in positive thinking.
The latest study, by Dr Laura Carsetensen at Stanford University in California, shows the golden years are often the happiest, and explains how this phenomenon takes place in the brain.
Researchers in Germany used functional MRI brain scans to examine 22 young people (average age of 25 years) and 26 older volunteers (average age of 65 years). Their brains were scanned while they performed a cognitive task that included random pictures of faces that were happy, sad, fearful or neutral.
The study, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, found the elderly participants were more distracted by the happy faces. This reaction showed in the brain with a strong signal in an area that controls emotions.
People with the strongest brain signal were those who were ranked on a psychological assessment as having the greatest emotional stability. This result indicates the brain prefers to engage in positive information later in life; but that preference for positive experiences appears to rely on sufficient cognitive resources.
The findings may help to explain the problems with regulating emotions that are sometimes seen in older people with dementia or cognitive impairment.
Preferring to be happy and focused on the short-term, rather than long-term goals as they age, researchers also suggest elderly people develop increased emotional control that enhances their “happiness levels”.
“The lessons of healthy ageing seem to be similar to those of resilience, throughout life,” the editor of Biological Psychiatry, Dr John Krystal, said.
“When coping with extremely stressful life challenges, it is critical to realistically appraise the situation but also to approach it with a positive attitude,” he said.
