Emotion, Aging, and Decision Making

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Every day we make important health decisions – such as whether to exercise or not – that impact health outcomes, from our physical to mental and cognitive health. Such decisions become all the more consequential as we age, given increased vulnerabilities in later life including risk for dementia (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease). In light of evidence documenting decreased physical activity with advanced age, how can we promote healthy decision making in late life? The proposed project focuses on socioemotional aspects of decision making, which may become particularly influential for older adults because of documented motivational shifts toward positivity and socially meaningful goals. Our previous work has demonstrated that positive affect plays a critical role in encouraging older adults to exercise. Relatedly, we have found that older adults are more motivated by social goals to exercise, whereas younger adults are more motivated by instrumental goals. Drawing from evidence that positive affect is particularly beneficial to mental and physical health when socially shared, the proposed work will examine how shared positive affect may influence health- related decisions and behavior. Finally, existing evidence indicates that although older adults generally benefit from exercise in terms of mental, physical, and cognitive health, genetic risk for dementia moderates the health benefits of exercise, which will be considered in this project. This research is innovative in its (a) translational application of insights from affective, cognitive, and aging theory and research to understand the antecedents and consequences of exercise decision making in younger and older adults, (b) conceptualization of both the social and emotional aspects of decision making, (c) development of a novel method for message framing that incorporates social influences, and (d) novel assessments of influences on the exercise-health link. The proposed research will examine the underlying affective and social mechanisms that play a role in health decisions and behavior. Specifically, this research will: (1) establish an understanding of how social and emotional processes contribute to age differences in health-related decision making, (2) determine how social and emotional factors impact exercise engagement, adherence, and maintenance, and (3) probe how shared positive affect and genetic risk for dementia may influence the effects of exercise on the health benefits in older adults. These aims will be met through laboratory experiments, field studies, and intervention studies. By pursuing these aims, this project promises to increase our understanding of the role of social and emotional processes in health-related decision making in older and younger adult, and to better inform prescriptive recommendations for how to best motivate healthy behaviors.