[ad_1]
“People with higher levels of positive affect have had less pronounced memory decline over the course of nearly a decade,” the researcher said.
We may wish some memories to last a lifetime, but many physical and emotional factors can negatively affect our ability to retain information throughout life.
A new study published in the journal Psychological Science found that people who feel enthusiastic and joyful – what psychologists refer to as “positive affect” – are less likely to experience memory decline as they age. This finding adds to a growing body of research on the role of positive affects in healthy aging.
A team of researchers analyzed data from 991 middle-aged and older American adults who participated in a national study that spanned three time periods: between 1995 and 1996, 2004 and 2006, and 2013 and 2014.
At each evaluation, participants reported a number of positive emotions they had experienced over the past 30 days. In the last two assessments, participants also completed memory performance tests. These tests consisted of remembering the words immediately after their presentation and again 15 minutes later.
Researchers looked at the association between positive affect and memory impairment, taking into account age, gender, education, depression, negative affect, and extraversion.
“Our results showed that memory decreases with age,” said Claudia Haase, an associate professor at Northwestern University and lead author of the paper. “However, people with higher levels of positive affect experienced less pronounced memory decline over the course of nearly a decade,” added Emily Hittner, PhD graduate of Northwestern University and lead author of the paper.
Future research areas could address pathways that could link positive affects and memory, such as physical health or social relationships.
Source link
