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A trouble shared is a trouble halved: Age differences in emotional experience and expression during couples'
Margund K Rohr1, Steffen Nestler1, Ute Kunzmann1
1Institute of Psychology.
Psychology and Aging
|August 16, 2019
Summary
Older couples show similar negative emotions as younger couples in problem-solving conversations. Context matters for emotional expression and relationship togetherness in aging couples.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Gerontology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Most age-comparative emotion studies use an individualistic approach.
- Previous research suggested older couples express less negative emotion than younger couples.
- Recent work highlights context dependency of age differences in emotional reactivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if older couples experience and express similar or higher negative emotions than younger couples in supportive contexts.
- To investigate age differences in couples' emphasis on togetherness during problem-solving conversations.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 37 younger (mean age 24.33) and 41 older (mean age 70.27) couples.
- Instructed couples to discuss an ongoing personal problem.
- Measured subjective feelings, facial, and verbal expressions of negative emotion, and perceived togetherness.
Main Results:
- No significant age differences in partners' negative emotional experience or expression.
- Older couples reported and expressed greater togetherness than younger couples.
- Negative emotion differences between age groups were less evident in this context.
Conclusions:
- Age differences in negative emotion are context-dependent.
- Negative emotions may be less apparent in older adults when they serve adaptive functions and support relationships.
- Findings challenge previous assumptions about reduced emotionality in older couples.