“Positive Emotions as Resilience and Vulnerability: Implications for Adaptive Aging”

by Prof. Anthony Ong 

Time: 31 October 2018, 12:40 pm

Abstract: Changes in cognitive and physiological functioning pervade the aging process. Importantly, alterations in these processes are not invariant with age, but are influenced by individual differences in resilience and vulnerability that accrue across the lifespan. In this talk, I focus on what is known about positive emotions as a contributing factor in both restorative and deteriorative health processes. Plausible mechanisms that underlie the association between positive emotions and mental and physical health are described, and illustrative studies examining these mechanisms are reviewed. Overall, findings indicate that the effects of positive emotions on health are bivalent in character, exerting both risk-protective and risk-augmenting effects. These findings point to new research questions that pose important challenges for future research.