About Careers Internship MedBlog Contact us
Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Advertisement

How Sensitivity to Emotions Changes Across Lifetime?

by Mohamed Fathima S on March 2, 2019 at 12:01 PM
How Sensitivity to Emotions Changes Across Lifetime?

Why are adolescents more sensitive to social cues? Why are senior people more calm and positive? These are the questions that were answered in a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. The findings of the study show how people of all ages respond to subtle changes in social cues.

For the study, researchers created a digital test of emotion sensitivity that was completed by nearly 10,000 men and women, ranging in age from 10 to 85. The test allowed researchers to measure how much each person was able to detect subtle differences in facial cues of fear, anger, and happiness. The test also identified how people in different age groups displayed changes in their sensitivity to those facial emotions.

Advertisement


Rutter, the study's lead author and a research fellow at McLean Hospital's Laboratory for Brain and Cognitive Health Technology, explained that participants were tested using the web-based platform TestMyBrain.org. They were shown images of faces, presented in pairs, and were asked "Which face is more angry?," "Which face is more happy?," or "Which face is more fearful?" Rutter stated that the online platform helped the researchers tap into a "much larger and more diverse sample set" than previous studies. She also said that the novel testing method helped improve the accuracy of the results for decoding facial cues.

Germine, the study's senior author, said that the new testing method and the large sample size helped the researchers gain a deeper understanding into differences in emotion processing. "From studies and anecdotal evidence, we know that the everyday experiences of an adolescent is different from a middle aged or older person, but we wanted to understand how these experiences might be linked with differences in basic emotion understanding," said Germine, who is the technical director of the McLean Institute for Technology in Psychiatry and director of the Laboratory for Brain and Cognitive Health Technology. Rutter added that "the paper grew out of knowing that these differences existed and wanting to compare these differences across the emotion categories."
Advertisement

Through their study, the researchers also drilled down on the way emotion sensitivity develops during adolescence.

"We found that sensitivity to anger cues improves dramatically during early to mid-adolescence," said Rutter. "This is the exact age when young people are most attuned to forms of social threat, such as bullying. The normal development of anger sensitivity can contribute to some of the challenges that arise during this phase of development."

On the other end of the life span, the study showed that sensitivity to facial cues for fear and anger decrease as people age, but the ability to detect happiness cues stays the same. "It's well established that there is an age-related decline in the ability to decode emotion cues, in general, but here we see very little decline in the ability to detect differences in happiness," Germine said. This is even though the study was designed to be sensitive to differences in happiness sensitivity with age, based on principles from psychometrics and signal detection theory.

"What's remarkable is that we see declines in many visual perceptual abilities as we get older, but here we did not see such declines in the perception of happiness," she said. "These findings fit well with other research showing that older adults tend to have more positive emotions and a positive outlook."

Now, the researchers are building on this study by conducting new work that examines how emotion sensitivity is related to differences in aspects of mental health, such as anxiety. The team is also looking at how sensitivity to anger and happiness cues might be related to the development of poorer mental health after trauma.



Source: Eurekalert
Font : A-A+

Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Latest Mental Health News

How is Schizophrenia Genetically Linked to Cardiovascular Risk Factors?
Schizophrenic patients have a genetic link to increased cardiovascular risk factors, especially smoking and body mass index.
Anxiety & Depression - Early Hints to Multiple Sclerosis
Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression could be precursors to multiple sclerosis (MS), even before the classic MS symptoms appear.
Predicting PTSD Resilience Through Post Traumatic Brain Activity
Studying brain circuits tied to PTSD's progression from acute to chronic states is vital for grasping its pathophysiology and crafting targeted treatments.
High Depression Rates Among Canadian COPD Patients During COVID-19
Older adults with COPD were roughly twice as likely to develop depression if they faced functional limitations.
Comparing Suicide Risk and Depression Screenings for Identifying Patient Risk
In most scenarios, depression screening tools demonstrated superior performance compared to suicide risk screenings.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
MediBotMediBot
Greetings! How can I assist you?MediBot
×

How Sensitivity to Emotions Changes Across Lifetime? Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests