Seniors see the happy side
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ray Sass with HHS HealthBeat. A study suggests seniors may dwell on the positive rather than the negative. Researchers at Brandeis University showed participants computer-generated pictures of pairs of faces conveying various emotions, and tracked eye movement to measure reactions to the pairs. While younger adults focused about equally on happy and sad faces, seniors spent more time looking at happy images. Dr. Derek Isaacowitz says this tendency may be a tool that seniors use to keep themselves happier as they age. "If you are focusing more on the positive and less on the negative, then you are interacting with the world in a way that will help you feel good, and regulated your feeling state and maintain a positive mood." (11 seconds) The study in the Journal of Psychology and Aging was supported by the National Institutes of Health. Learn more at www.hhs.gov. HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ray Sass. Last revised: September, 26 2006 | 
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