Phillips L H, Henry J D, Hosie J A, Milne A B
School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland.
Aging Ment Health. 2006 May;10(3):250-6. doi: 10.1080/13607860500310385.
Emotion regulation has been argued to be an important factor in well-being. The current study investigated the effects of adult aging on emotional expression, emotional control and rumination about emotional events, focusing on an emotion which is particularly important in social interaction: anger. Measures of anger regulation and well-being were obtained in a sample of 286 adults aged between 18 and 88. Older adults expressed anger outwardly less often, and reported more inner control of anger using calming strategies compared to their younger counterparts. These age differences were not explained by variance in social desirability of responding. Age improvements in negative affect and anxiety were partly explained by age differences in anger regulation suggesting an important role for anger management in good mental health amongst older adults. Further, age improvements in quality of life were explained by variance in anger regulation indicating that improved management of emotions with age is an important factor in maintaining well-being in old age.
情绪调节被认为是幸福的一个重要因素。当前的研究调查了成年期衰老对情绪表达、情绪控制以及对情绪事件的反复思考的影响，重点关注一种在社交互动中尤为重要的情绪：愤怒。在286名年龄在18岁至88岁之间的成年人样本中，获取了愤怒调节和幸福感的测量数据。与年轻的同龄人相比，老年人较少向外表达愤怒，并且报告称更多地使用平静策略对愤怒进行内在控制。这些年龄差异并不能通过回应的社会期望差异来解释。愤怒调节方面的年龄差异部分解释了负面情绪和焦虑方面的年龄改善，这表明愤怒管理在老年人良好心理健康中起着重要作用。此外，愤怒调节的差异解释了生活质量方面的年龄改善，这表明随着年龄增长情绪管理能力的提高是维持老年幸福感的一个重要因素。
