Description:

Anthony Ong speaks on "Positive Affect as a Determinant of Health in Adulthood and Late Life." 

Changes in cognitive and physiological functioning pervade the aging process. Importantly, alterations in these processes are not invariant with age but are influenced by individual differences in resilience and vulnerability that accrue across the lifespan. In this talk, I focus on what is known about positive affect as a contributing factor in both restorative and deteriorative health processes. Plausible mechanisms that underlie the association between positive affect and mental and physical health are described, and illustrative studies examining these mechanisms are reviewed. Overall, findings indicate that the effects of positive affect on health are bivalent in character, exerting both risk-protective and risk-augmenting effects. These findings point to new research questions that pose important challenges for future research. Anthony Ong holds appointments at Weill Cornell Medical College and at Cornell University, where he is professor of human development and director of the human health labs. He received his Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of Southern California and completed his postdoctoral training in adult development and aging at the University of Notre Dame.