Abstract
Emotion globalizing, the extent to which current emotions impact satisfaction with life, is associated with poorer psychological well-being. Given extant aging theories and research highlighting age-related changes in emotional experiences and emotion regulation, the present study examined age differences in positive and negative emotion globalizing across the adult lifespan. Participants (N = 145 females; aged 23-79) completed assessments of positive emotion (i.e., amused, energetic, calm, happy, interested, excited, and content), negative emotion (i.e., anxious, lonely, sad, annoyed, angry, and distressed), and life satisfaction for 16 days. Multilevel model analyses revealed age differences in negative, but not positive, emotion globalizing. More specifically, older individuals reported lower levels of negative emotion globalizing, as compared to younger individuals. These findings highlight the need to explore downstream consequences of emotion globalizing across the lifespan, as this could unveil novel pathways towards successful aging.