Mood Regulation in Real Time

Mechanisms have been proposed to underlie differences between younger and older adults in real-time mood regulation, but these mechanisms have not yet been shown to predict mood outcomes. One such mechanism is age-related positivity effects in attention and memory. In this paper, I take one form of this possible mechanism -positive looking patterns - and consider whether 1) older adults prefer positive looking, and 2) positive looking helps older adults regulate their mood in real-time. Evidence is more consistent for the former than the latter. A similar exercise is needed for other possible forms (positive memory) and other possible mechanisms that may explain age differences in real-time mood regulation.