The Impact on Mood of Verbal Reminiscing in Later Adulthood

The impact on mood of verbal reminiscing was compared with that of talking about the present or future in a group of thirty-six female participants between the ages of forty-six and eighty-five. Self reports of mood showed a relatively more positive effect of reminiscing and thus support the hypothesis that reminiscence may serve an adaptive function in later life. Participants over sixty-five years of age, however, did not report a different impact on mood than the younger participants, calling into question the age-specific nature of this phenomenon. Potential theoretical explanations and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.