Age and Anger

Are older people less angry? I propose that age differences in roles, personal and social circumstances, the sense of control, health, and socio-emotional outlook explain the association. I use data from a 1981 representative sample of 951 physically disabled individuals from Southwestern Ontario, Canada and a 1996 national probability sample of 1,450 U.S. respondents--the General Social Survey (GSS). Both surveys show a negative association between age and anger. In the Ontario sample older people are more likely to occupy widowhood and retirement roles, live with fewer people, have less interpersonal estrangement, and have fewer life events; these characteristics explain their lower anger. Also, were it not for their lower control and worse health older people in the Ontario sample would report even lower anger. In the GSS sample, age differences in household composition, satisfaction with family life and financial circumstances, perceived time pressures in daily life, religious involvement, and socio-emotional outlook contribute to the lower anger among older adults. Collectively, my findings show that the psychosocial and structural environment--experienced differently by age--influences the risk of anger.