Emotion Formation in Old Age—The Result of a Top-Down Positive Strategy, General Habituation or a Bottom-Up Decreased Interoception?

Emotion formation in older adults may be influenced not only by top-down cognitive strategies such as the positivity bias but also by bottom-up physiological changes. Decreased interoceptive awareness in older adults may alter the traditional emotion formation process, potentially reducing the intensity of negative emotions. The frequent physiological changes during the process of aging may lead to habituation that should also be considered as a complementary mechanism. In addition, cultural factors and social norm shifts further complicate emotion formation in aging populations, particularly for immigrants who must navigate unfamiliar social codes while experiencing diminished interoceptive signals. Looking at emotion formation in older adults contributes to the understanding of emotions as a complex construct involving several complementary processes which receive different weights according to the person's situation.