Want to ward off blues? Get old

London, May 21: Your grandmother gets cranky more often than not but she may be happier than her younger counterparts. According to new research, older people were more content as ageing brings a sense of peace and calmness. The study published in journal ''Social Science and Medicine'' revealed that ageing was associated with more positive than negative emotions, and more passive than active emotions. Previous research had associated depression with ageing.

The present study compared active versus passive dimension in explaining how emotions shift as people age, researcher Catherine Ross said. "The passive/positive combination reveals that contentment, calm and ease are some of the most common emotions people feel as they age," Ms Ross said, adding that emotions that were both active and negative, such as anxiety and anger, were unlikely among the elderly. During the study, the researchers grouped the emotions in four categories: active, passive, positive and negative. Findings revealed that women had more negative than positive emotions, and more passive than active emotions than men. Also, participants with higher income and education levels had significantly more positive emotions than those with lower income and education levels.

UNI