#977 Susan Charles: How Well-Being Varies Across the Lifespan

Aug 8, 2024

In this discussion, Dr. Susan Charles, a professor at UC Irvine, explores the nuances of well-being as we age. She explains how emotional function shifts throughout life, highlighting that older adults often find greater happiness despite challenges. The conversation touches on daily stress's long-term health effects and the complex relationship between hormones and emotions. Charles also discusses how aging influences emotional memory, illustrating how older individuals often recall experiences more positively and prioritize meaningful connections.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Emotional Well-Being Across the Lifespan

01:51 • 20min

The Long-Term Effects of Daily Stress on Physical Health

21:33 • 3min

Understanding Hormones and Emotions: A Balanced Perspective

24:05 • 2min

Understanding Effective Reactivity Across Ages

26:25 • 15min

Emotional Memory and Aging

41:48 • 15min

Gratitude and Community Support

56:28 • 3min

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Dr. Susan Charles is Professor of Psychological Science and Nursing Science in the School of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine. Her research examines emotional processes across the adult life span. She is interested in how affective experience varies across the life course, and how differences in affective experience may be related to differences in cognitive and health-related processes. Dr. Charles is also interested in the interplay between health and emotion, including the relationship between physical health factors (both health behavior and health status) and emotional processes, and how these relationships may vary as a function of age.

In this episode, we focus on affective well-being across the lifespan. We start by discussing what it is, how emotional function changes across the lifespan, biological changes that affect emotional processes, emotion regulation, and cognitive and health-related processes. We also talk about the role of individual differences, and the relationship between physical health and emotion. We discuss daily stressors, affective reactivity, and physical health. We talk about affective responses to negative social interactions, the role of rumination, and emotional memory. Finally, we discuss how social relationships change with age, the health benefits of close social ties, and loneliness among old people.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, JERRY MULLER, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, EDWARD HALL, HEDIN BRØNNER, DOUGLAS FRY, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, PAUL-GEORGE ARNAUD, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ANTON ERIKSSON, ALEX CHAU, AMAURI MARTÍNEZ, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, IGOR N, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, BARNABAS RADICS, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, NIKLAS CARLSSON, GEORGE CHORIATIS, VALENTIN STEINMANN, PER KRAULIS, KATE VON GOELER, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, MASOUD ALIMOHAMMADI, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, ERIK ENGMAN, LUCY, YHONATAN SHEMESH, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, PEDRO BONILLA, CAROLA FEEST, STARRY, MAURO JÚNIOR, 航豊川, TONY BARRETT, AND BENJAMIN GELBART!

A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, AL NICK ORTIZ, NICK GOLDEN, AND CHRISTINE GLASS! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MATTHEW LAVENDER, SERGIU CODREANU, BOGDAN KANIVETS, ROSEY, AND GREGORY HASTINGS!