Laura L. Carstensen - US grants

Social isolation among the elderly is consistently linked to a wide variety of deleterious consequences that range from an increased risk of institutionalization to decreased life-expectancy. Although correlational evidence suggesting a relationship between social behavior and health is provocative, very little is known about specific behavioral or physiological factors that are involved. Thus, social isolation may be confounded with other variables which are themselves predictive of impairments in health and social functioning. Losses in memory, the ability to discriminate and recognize faces, and to retrieve words necessary for conversational speech, for example, could produce a decrease in the frequency of interactional behavior. Given brain changes related to normal aging, as well as dramatic increases in the incidence of organic brain syndromes among an aged population, the potential role of cognitive deficits in social isolation is sorely in need of investigation. In this work, the neuropsychological status of socially isolated and socially active elderly nursing home residents will be assessed using tests that measure intellectual functioning, memory, visuospatial functions and language, as well as perceived social isolation. It is postulated that relative to socially active elderly, a significant number of socially isolated persons are deficient in cognitive skills necessary for effective social interactions. The long-term objective of this research is to more fully understand the relationship between social contact and physical health status. Findings will be important for two reasons: First, if a significant percentage of isolated elderly also experience cognitive deficits, the underlying basis of these deficits will need to be closely examined; particularly the potential confounding of organic brain syndromes and social isolation. Second, to date, the focus of interventions has been almost exclusively on increasing rates of interpersonal interaction without regard to the potential diversity of the target population. If a large number of isolated elderly display significant deficits in neuropsychological functioning, this must become an important consideration in planning effective interventions.

behavior; self care; aging;

Findings uncovered during the initial grant period lead to the development of a theoretical model of social and emotional aging termed socioemotional selectivity theory. The theory holds that the constellation of social goals that motivate human behavior are reorganized over the life span, such that late in life the motivation for information seeking with social partners decreases and the motivation to regulate emotion increases. The five-year program of research described herein proposes to utilize experimental and naturalistic methods to test postulates derived from this theory. In particular, studies detailed herein will address the nature of observed age differences in the salience of emotion across the adult life span. The studies will; examine cognitive (Study l) and motivational (Study 2) processes that may underlie the reliable emotion bias found in our earlier work, examine age differences in the type of information derived from facial expressions of emotion (Study 3) and illuminate the role of emotion themes in intergenerational interactions (Study 4). In addition, the research will address the role of self-affirmation and self- verification in social motivation in young and old age (Study 5) and examine in a field context individual differences in the experience and social context of emotion across the life span (Study 6). Together the studies will allow for further development of socioemotional selectivity theory as well as examine possible associated gains and losses that may occur with changing social motivations. The ultimate aim of the research program is understanding and maximizing social and emotional well-being in late life.

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The premise of the proposed research is that older citizens possess considerable untapped potential related to their emotional balance and preferences for meaningful activity. Empirical evidence suggests that opportunities for meaningful work (paid or unpaid) may be especially motivating for older people and that older people may be especially well-suited for work that draws on social and emotional skills. Moreover, engagement in meaningful work is associated with increases in older adults' relatively low levels of physical activity. Thus, motivating activity by tapping preferences for meaningful engagement has the potential to improve the health and well-being of older people as well as the broader public that is served. The research is guided by socio-emotional selectivity theory, which maintains that changing time horizons result in systematic age differences in motivation and emotion. Specifically, when time horizons are expansive, people are motivated to explore and learn. When time horizons are constrained, people are motivated to prioritize emotionally meaningful experience. Over the past two decades socio-emotional selectivity theory has been extensively tested and validated in basic empirical studies; there is now a great opportunity to apply the theory to everyday domains outside of the laboratory. We propose a series of studies that explore postulates and test hypotheses about the ways that positive changes in emotional experience and the prioritization of emotional goals can enhance behavioral practices and performance in three areas: workplace productivity, physical activity, and volunteer activities. Three broad aims are pursued. Aim I tests hypotheses about (a) age differences in work preferences and the role of perceived time horizons therein, (b) comparisons of age differences in behavioral and emotional experience during work, and (c) exploratory research using company-level data to reveal contributions of older workers that may be overlooked in current managerial practices. Aim II tests hypotheses that older people prefer physical activities framed in terms of emotional meaning more so than activities specified as exercise, and that emotionally meaningful incentives are most effective in increasing walking in older people. Aim III applies the same theoretical approach to optimize the recruitment and retention of older volunteers nearing retirement age. By extending the research program in these innovative and applied directions, we extend the theory in novel ways that can help to refine the conceptual basis of the research as well as identify potential ways to improve public health. The research proposed in this renewal application is poised to have high impact because our research partners in private and government organizations have the ability to implement empirically-validated approaches on a large scale. Partners include the civic leadership of Santa Clara County, the President's Council on Physical Fitness, Mercer, Fidelity, and Target Corporation, each of which has the capacity to improve the health and well-being of the populations they serve.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of this grant is to facilitate the creation of a multidisciplinary scientific Research Network on Decision Neuroscience and Aging. The integrative emerging area that we seek to develop with this grant combines the strengths of several fields including psychology, neuroscience, and economics to facilitate rapid scientific progress and directly contribute to the development of effective interventions and policies to improve health and well being across the life span. Over five years this network grant will support scientific meetings, intensive training workshops for researchers at all stages, and a pilot grant competition for researchers new to the field. These activities will directly support the growth, development, and sustainability of the Decision Neuroscience of Aging. This grant will support growth of the network through dissemination activities. Scientific meetings will increase awareness of the latest findings with the goal of drawing new researchers into the area. A small grant competition will encourage scientists to join the area and will stimulate new research through small scale pilots. This network grant will support development of the area through methods workshops. Short, intensive workshops will focus on training researchers at all stages in the collection and analysis of various emerging behavioral (e.g., economic, health-related, social) and biological (e.g., neurochemical, genetic, hormonal) measures. The development of these skills is currently difficult to achieve in traditional single discipline training programs, but will be essential for taking advantage of the growing number of large multivariate and multi-level integrative datasets generated by this area in the future. In general the network will focus on investing in the sustainability of this field by ensuring that graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior and senior faculty are invited to participate in all activities. Workshops, meetings, and small grants opportunities will facilitate the transition from a small group of individuals managing network activities to a strong field of researchers leading future work in this area. After completion of activities, this emerging area will be in better position for network members to pursue funding to support the network in the future using more traditional mechanisms. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: As the proportion of older adults in the population continues to expand, magnifying the relative impact of their decisions, it is increasingly imperative to better understand changes in decision making across the life span The long-term goal of this network is to conduct integrative and multidisciplinary research that contributes directly to interventions aimed at improving health and well being in the daily lives of aging adults.

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT In an age of unprecedented longevity, health and well-being in old age reflect decisions and behavioral practices that span decades. Seemingly minor decisions and actions people take in everyday life have cumulative, long-term consequences that affect stress, opportunities for engagement, and health in old age. Financial security is strongly related to physical and mental health, and the majority of Americans are not financially secure. Even among those who have sufficient resources to save and invest, many lack the skills and motivation required to engage in wise planning and habits that support health and well-being at advanced ages. Independent of the potential causal relationships among financial health, physical health and psychological well-being, long-term financial and health-related planning share many common features. Social science is beginning to address these issues but the vast amount of existing research relies on individuals' performance on hypothetical tasks in laboratory settings or responses on surveys. Private industries often have very large and rich data resources that reflect behavior in everyday life. A lack of connection between well-controlled laboratory studies and actual behavior creates a major barrier to progress in understanding behavior and developing scalable interventions to improve financial, mental, and physical health. The financial services and healthcare industries are key stakeholders in finding effective solutions but at present collaborations between social scientists and private sector companies are limited to occasional consulting and proprietary research. Collaborations are typically difficult to establish, limited by complex privacy concerns, logistical issues and mutual distrust about how the findings might be used. Yet, partnerships between researchers and private sector companies represent extraordinary opportunities to answer important questions about decisions and actions that predict long-term health outcomes. The goal of this project is to bring a unique interdisciplinary perspective to the understanding of optimal and suboptimal decision making across adulthood. By training early-stage researchers to effectively establish research partnerships with industry, we can facilitate the development of research projects that promise to improve health and financial well-being for aging individuals and society.