Research supports this hypothesis.

For example, Carstensen and Fredrickson (1998) tested

socioemotional selectivity theory in a study involving a large and ethnically diverse sample
of adults ranging in age from 18 to 88 years. Their goal was to test the hypothesis that older
adults would focus their attention on the enhancement of current emotional experiences, whereas
younger adults would focus on possibilities for the future, such as meeting new people from
whom they could learn new things about the world. To test this idea, they gave younger- and
older-adult research participants a long list of different types of people (e.g., a long-time close
friend, the author of a book just read). They asked the participants to make ratings that would
reveal the dimensions (i.e., the features that differentiated the individuals in the list) that were
most important to them as they thought about the different people on the list. Research supports this
hypothesis. For example, Carstensen and Fredrickson (1998) tested
socioemotional selectivity theory in a study involving a large and ethnically diverse sample
of adults ranging in age from 18 to 88 years. Their goal was to test the hypothesis that older
adults would focus their attention on the enhancement of current emotional experiences, whereas
younger adults would focus on possibilities for the future, such as meeting new people from
whom they could learn new things about the world. To test this idea, they gave younger- and
older-adult research participants a long list of different types of people (e.g., a long-time close
friend, the author of a book just read). They asked the participants to make ratings that would
reveal the dimensions (i.e., the features that differentiated the individuals in the list) that were
most important to them as they thought about the different people on the list. Research supports this
hypothesis. For example, Carstensen and Fredrickson (1998) tested
socioemotional selectivity theory in a study involving a large and ethnically diverse sample
of adults ranging in age from 18 to 88 years. Their goal was to test the hypothesis that older
adults would focus their attention on the enhancement of current emotional experiences, whereas
younger adults would focus on possibilities for the future, such as meeting new people from
whom they could learn new things about the world. To test this idea, they gave younger- and
older-adult research participants a long list of different types of people (e.g., a long-time close
friend, the author of a book just read). They asked the participants to make ratings that would
reveal the dimensions (i.e., the features that differentiated the individuals in the list) that were
most important to them as they thought about the different people on the list. Research supports this
hypothesis. For example, Carstensen and Fredrickson (1998) tested
socioemotional selectivity theory in a study involving a large and ethnically diverse sample
of adults ranging in age from 18 to 88 years. Their goal was to test the hypothesis that older
adults would focus their attention on the enhancement of current emotional experiences, whereas
younger adults would focus on possibilities for the future, such as meeting new people from
whom they could learn new things about the world. To test this idea, they gave younger- and
older-adult research participants a long list of different types of people (e.g., a long-time close
friend, the author of a book just read). They asked the participants to make ratings that would
reveal the dimensions (i.e., the features that differentiated the individuals in the list) that were
most important to them as they thought about the different people on the list. Research supports this
hypothesis. For example, Carstensen and Fredrickson (1998) tested
socioemotional selectivity theory in a study involving a large and ethnically diverse sample
of adults ranging in age from 18 to 88 years. Their goal was to test the hypothesis that older
adults would focus their attention on the enhancement of current emotional experiences, whereas
younger adults would focus on possibilities for the future, such as meeting new people from
whom they could learn new things about the world. To test this idea, they gave younger- and
older-adult research participants a long list of different types of people (e.g., a long-time close
friend, the author of a book just read). They asked the participants to make ratings that would
reveal the dimensions (i.e., the features that differentiated the individuals in the list) that were
most important to them as they thought about the different people on the list. Research supports this
hypothesis. For example, Carstensen and Fredrickson (1998) tested
socioemotional selectivity theory in a study involving a large and ethnically diverse sample
of adults ranging in age from 18 to 88 years. Their goal was to test the hypothesis that older
adults would focus their attention on the enhancement of current emotional experiences, whereas
younger adults would focus on possibilities for the future, such as meeting new people from
whom they could learn new things about the world. To test this idea, they gave younger- and
older-adult research participants a long list of different types of people (e.g., a long-time close
friend, the author of a book just read). They asked the participants to make ratings that would
reveal the dimensions (i.e., the features that differentiated the individuals in the list) that were
most important to them as they thought about the different people on the list. Research supports this
hypothesis. For example, Carstensen and Fredrickson (1998) tested
socioemotional selectivity theory in a study involving a large and ethnically diverse sample
of adults ranging in age from 18 to 88 years. Their goal was to test the hypothesis that older
adults would focus their attention on the enhancement of current emotional experiences, whereas
younger adults would focus on possibilities for the future, such as meeting new people from
whom they could learn new things about the world. To test this idea, they gave younger- and
older-adult research participants a long list of different types of people (e.g., a long-time close
friend, the author of a book just read). They asked the participants to make ratings that would
reveal the dimensions (i.e., the features that differentiated the individuals in the list) that were
most important to them as they thought about the different people on the list. Research supports this
hypothesis. For example, Carstensen and Fredrickson (1998) tested
socioemotional selectivity theory in a study involving a large and ethnically diverse sample
of adults ranging in age from 18 to 88 years. Their goal was to test the hypothesis that older
adults would focus their attention on the enhancement of current emotional experiences, whereas
younger adults would focus on possibilities for the future, such as meeting new people from
whom they could learn new things about the world. To test this idea, they gave younger- and
older-adult research participants a long list of different types of people (e.g., a long-time close
friend, the author of a book just read). They asked the participants to make ratings that would
reveal the dimensions (i.e., the features that differentiated the individuals in the list) that were
most important to them as they thought about the different people on the list. Research supports this
hypothesis. For example, Carstensen and Fredrickson (1998) tested
socioemotional selectivity theory in a study involving a large and ethnically diverse sample
of adults ranging in age from 18 to 88 years. Their goal was to test the hypothesis that older
adults would focus their attention on the enhancement of current emotional experiences, whereas
younger adults would focus on possibilities for the future, such as meeting new people from
whom they could learn new things about the world. To test this idea, they gave younger- and
older-adult research participants a long list of different types of people (e.g., a long-time close
friend, the author of a book just read). They asked the participants to make ratings that would
reveal the dimensions (i.e., the features that differentiated the individuals in the list) that were
most important to them as they thought about the different people on the list. Research supports this
hypothesis. For example, Carstensen and Fredrickson (1998) tested
socioemotional selectivity theory in a study involving a large and ethnically diverse sample
of adults ranging in age from 18 to 88 years. Their goal was to test the hypothesis that older
adults would focus their attention on the enhancement of current emotional experiences, whereas
younger adults would focus on possibilities for the future, such as meeting new people from
whom they could learn new things about the world. To test this idea, they gave younger- and
older-adult research participants a long list of different types of people (e.g., a long-time close
friend, the author of a book just read). They asked the participants to make ratings that would
reveal the dimensions (i.e., the features that differentiated the individuals in the list) that were
most important to them as they thought about the different people on the list. Research supports this
hypothesis. For example, Carstensen and Fredrickson (1998) tested
socioemotional selectivity theory in a study involving a large and ethnically diverse sample
of adults ranging in age from 18 to 88 years. Their goal was to test the hypothesis that older
adults would focus their attention on the enhancement of current emotional experiences, whereas
younger adults would focus on possibilities for the future, such as meeting new people from
whom they could learn new things about the world. To test this idea, they gave younger- and
older-adult research participants a long list of different types of people (e.g., a long-time close
friend, the author of a book just read). They asked the participants to make ratings that would
reveal the dimensions (i.e., the features that differentiated the individuals in the list) that were
most important to them as they thought about the different people on the list.