As people age, both positivity and emotional richness tend to become more prominent, shaping how adults handle challenges and find satisfaction. Younger individuals may show more irritation or anger, while those in midlife and beyond often display greater calm and composure.
A recent study led by Richa Nigam and Professor Bhoomika Rastogi Kar from the Centre of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences (CBCS) at Allahabad University has uncovered why emotional richness and positivity tend to increase with age. Published in Science Direct (Elsevier), the research provides new insights into how emotional regulation evolves, even as physical and cognitive abilities naturally decline.
Why emotions become more positive with age
The study examined how emotions play out in everyday life for young, middle-aged, and older adults. Using a multi-method approach, participants took part in three weeks of daily phone surveys, reporting their emotional states at different times. This data was paired with self-reports on emotional preferences and a reaction-time lab task designed to track how people process emotions.
One of the main findings was that participants of all ages generally preferred positive emotions to negative ones. However, middle-aged and older adults reported experiencing positive feelings more often compared to younger adults. According to the researchers, this shift may be explained by older individuals prioritizing meaningful and emotionally rewarding experiences, reflecting a change in affective goals over time.
The research also revealed that cultural context plays a key role. In Western studies, it is common for individuals to experience “mixed emotions,” such as happiness and sadness simultaneously. Yet, in the Indian context explored here, this overlap was rare. Choosing to embrace negative emotions was also uncommon across all age groups.
Emotional clarity and maturity with age
As people get older, the study showed, their emotional experiences become more distinct. Older adults demonstrated stronger associations with positive emotions like joy, interest, and contentment, while reporting lower intensity and frequency of emotions such as anger and tiredness. This suggests not just better emotional control but also clearer categorization of feelings.
By contrast, younger adults experienced emotions in a more intertwined way. Negative feelings often influenced their daily mood more heavily, making it harder for them to separate positive from negative experiences. This difference highlights the gradual development of emotional clarity that comes with age.
Professor Bhoomika Rastogi Kar, Head of the CBCS and corresponding author of the paper, explained that these findings underscore a natural shift toward positivity as we grow older. “Older adults demonstrate a shift toward positivity, emphasizing emotional well-being, and these effects are observed starting from mid-life,” she noted.
The team emphasized that this shift doesn’t eliminate negative emotions but rather places stronger weight on experiences that bring satisfaction and meaning. Their ongoing research now explores the neural mechanisms behind these changes at the Centre’s neuroimaging facility.
For younger generations, these findings suggest that emotional well-being improves with time, reflecting not only personal growth but also the way our brains and priorities adapt. As Nigam and Kar’s work demonstrates, aging does not just bring challenges—it also brings the gift of greater emotional richness.
In the end, this study shows that while growing older may mean physical decline, it also offers a deeper, more positive emotional landscape—an insight that reshapes how we think about the journey of aging.
