Why Are Older People Often So Responsible and Considerate Even When Their Future Seems Limited? A Systematic Review

Socioemotional selectivity theory assumes that older individuals tend to perceive their identity or life as limited in time and, therefore, prioritize meaningful relationships. Yet, other research shows that people who perceive their identity as limited in time tend to behave impulsively—contrary to the behavior of many older individuals. To redress this paradox, this article reports a systematic review, comprising 86 papers, that examined the consequences of whether individuals perceive their identity as limited or enduring. To reconcile conflicts in the literature, we propose that, before an impending transition, some individuals perceive their life now as dissociated from their future goals and, therefore, will tend to behave impulsively. Other individuals however, especially if older, tend to pursue a quest or motivation that transcends this transition, fostering delayed gratification, and responsible behavior.

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Prevalence and risk factors for food allergy in older people: protocol for a systematic review

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029633 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. e029633 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Inês Laia-Dias ◽

Carlos Lozoya-Ibáñez ◽

Isabel Skypala ◽

Jorge M R Gama ◽

Ulugbek Nurmatov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Food Allergy ◽

Older People ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Statistical Heterogeneity

IntroductionStudies suggest that the prevalence of food allergy may be increasing worldwide. Results regarding the prevalence and features of adverse food reactions older people have, however, scarcely been analysed in the literature. Thus, the objective of the present systematic review will be to describe the prevalence of food allergy in older individuals, its risk factors, clinical features, as well as the most frequently and commonly involved foods.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the incidence, prevalence and risk factors for food allergy in older individuals. We will search international electronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, AMED and ISI Web of Science for published, unpublished and ongoing studies from 1980 toJanuary 2019. There will be no restriction on the language or geography of publication. We will use the critical appraisal skills programme quality assessment tool to appraise the methodological quality of included studies. A descriptive summary with data tables will be elaborated, and if deemed clinically relevant and statistically adequate, meta-analysis using random-effects modelling will be carried out, given the expected clinical, methodological and statistical heterogeneity of studies. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist will guide reporting of the systematic review.Ethics and disseminationSince this systematic review will be solely based on published and retrievable literature, no ethics approval will be obtained. This study will allow us to draw up-to-date estimates of the prevalence of adverse food reactions in older individuals, worldwide, besides allowing the identification of its major risk factors, clinical manifestations and predominant foods responsible for such reactions. A multidisciplinary team has been assembled for this systematic review and will participate in relevant dissemination activities, namely reports, publications and presentations.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018102140

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Beyond Stereotypes: Using Socioemotional Selectivity Theory to Improve Messaging to Older Adults

Current Directions in Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/09637214211011468 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 096372142110114

Author(s):

Laura L. Carstensen ◽

Hal E. Hershfield

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Socioemotional Selectivity Theory ◽

Socioemotional Selectivity ◽

Personal Resilience ◽

The Moment ◽

Types Of Information ◽

Traditional Approaches ◽

Tacit Assumptions ◽

Better Than

The tremendous heterogeneity in functional and demographic characteristics of the over-65 age group presents challenges to effective marketing and public-health communications. Messages grounded on tacit assumptions that older people are frail, incompetent, and needy risk being overlooked by most of the older population; on the other hand, ignoring age-associated vulnerabilities is problematic. We argue that although traditional approaches to market segmentation based on chronological age often fail, reliable age differences in motivation influence the types of information that older people typically prefer, attend to, and remember, and these differences can be used to inform communication efforts. Socioemotional selectivity theory maintains that as future time horizons grow limited—as they typically do with age—emotional goals are prioritized over goals that focus on exploration. As time left becomes more limited, positive messages are remembered better than negative ones, and products that help people savor the moment are preferred over those that benefit the long-term future. In addition, emphasizing individual strengths and personal resilience is likely to be especially appealing to older people.

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Before I Die

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000190 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 151-162 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Qiao Chu ◽

Daniel Grühn ◽

Ashley M. Holland

Keyword(s):

End Of Life ◽

Psychosocial Development ◽

Time Horizon ◽

Development Theory ◽

Life Stages ◽

Socioemotional Selectivity Theory ◽

Socioemotional Selectivity ◽

Time Horizons

Abstract. We investigated the effects of time horizon and age on the socioemotional motives underlying individual’s bucket-list goals. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three time-horizon conditions to make a bucket list: (1) an open-ended time horizon (Study 1 & 2), (2) a 6-month horizon (i.e., “Imagine you have 6 months to live”; Study 1 & 2), and (3) a 1-week horizon (Study 2). Goal motives were coded based on socioemotional selectivity theory and psychosocial development theory. Results indicated that time horizon and age produced unique effects on bucket-list goal motives. Extending past findings on people’s motives considering the end of life, the findings suggest that different time horizons and life stages trigger different motives.

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