Does demand drive choice? Cognitive demand of emotion regulation tactics and preferences in adulthood and old age

Older adults tend to report high emotional well-being and more recent research has investigated possible age differences in emotion regulation tactics, including Valence × Direction tactics and acceptance. Previous studies have found that older adults prefer positive-approaching tactics and acceptance more than younger adults. However, it remains unclear what drives this age difference. The current study tested cognitive demand as a potential mechanism.

We measured younger (N = 77) and older adults' (N = 62) self-reported cognitive effort and pupil dilation during an instructed emotion regulation task where participants viewed negative images and regulated their emotions. Participants also selected their preferred tactic for a final 'free-regulate' block.

Results indicated that acceptance was perceived as less cognitive-demanding than other tactics across age groups, though pupillometry data did not reflect this difference. There were no significant age differences in emotion regulation behaviors at the tactic level.

Overall, results suggested that perceived demand, rather than cognitive ability or actual demand, may play a more central role in regulatory decision-making.