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Selected Publications

In Press

Charles, S.T. & Carstensen, L.L. (in press). Socioemotional selectivity theory. In H. Reis &  S.Sprecher (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Human Relationships. Sage Publications.

Kwon, Y., Scheibe, S., Samanez-Larkin, G.R., Tsai, J.L., & Carstensen, L.L. (in press) Replicating the positivity effect in picture memory in
Koreans: Evidence for cross-cultural generalizability. Psychology and Aging.

Samanez-Larkin, G.R. & Carstensen, L.L. (forthcoming) Socioemotional functioning and the aging brain. In J. Decety & J.T. Cacioppo (Eds.)
The Handbook of Social Neuroscience. New York: Oxford University Press.

Schober, M.F., & Carstensen, L.L. (in press).  Does being together for years help comprehension? In E. Morsella (Ed.), Expressing oneself/Expressing one's self: Communication, cognition, language, and identity.  London: Taylor & Francis.

2008

Charles, S.T. & Carstensen, L.L. (2008). Unpleasant situations elicit different emotional responses in younger and older adults.  Psychology and Aging. 23, 495-504.            

Ersner-Hershfield, H., Mikels, J.A., Sullivan, S., and Carstensen, L.L. (2008). Poignancy: Mixed emotional experience in the face of meaningful endings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94 (1), 158-167.

Lindberg, C., Carstensen, E.L & Carstensen, L.L. (2008). Lifelong learning and technology. Prepared for the National Research Council's Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Löckenhoff, C.E, & Carstensen, L.L. (2008). Decision strategies in healthcare choices for self and others: Older adults make adjustments for the age of the decision target, younger adults do not. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 63, P106-P109.

Nielsen, L., Knutson, B., and Carstensen, L.L. (2008). Affect dynamics, affective forecasting, and aging. Emotion, 8, 318-30.

Ram, N., Morelli, S., Lindberg, C., & Carstensen, L. L. (2008). From static to dynamic. The ongoing dialectic about human development. In K. W. Schaie & R. P. Abeles (Eds.), Social structures and aging individuals: Continuing challenges. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Samanez-Larkin, G.R., Hollon, N.G., Carstensen, L.L., Knutson, B. (2008). Individual differences in insular sensitivity during loss
anticipation predict avoidance learning. Psychological Science, 19 (4), 320 - 323.

2007

Carstensen, L. L. ( 2007). Growing old or living long: Take your pick. Issues in Science and Technology, Winter 2007, 41-50.

Charles, S.T. & Carstensen, L.L. (2007). Emotion regulation and aging. In J.J. Gross (Ed.), Handbook of Emotion Regulation. New York: Guilford Press

Lindberg, C., Carstensen, L. L. (2007). Emotions and emotional stability. In W. S. Markides (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Health and Aging (pp. 190-192). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Löckenhoff, C.E. & Carstensen, L.L. (2007). Aging, emotion, and health-related decision strategies: Motivational manipulations can reduce age differences. Psychology and Aging, 22 (1), 134-146.

Samanez-Larkin, G.R., Gibbs, S.E.B., Khanna, K., Nielsen, L., Carstensen, L.L., Knutson, B. (2007). Anticipation of monetary gain but not loss in healthy older adults. Nature Neuroscience, 10(6), 787–791. supplement

2006

Carstensen, L.L. (2006). The influence of a sense of time on human development. Science, 312, 1913-1915.

Carstensen, L.L. and Hartel, C.R. (Eds). (2006). When I'm 64. Committee on Aging Frontiers in Social Psychology, Personality, and Adult Developmental Psychology. Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National Research Council/The National Academies Press.

Carstensen, L.L., Mikels, J.A. & Mather, M. (2006). Aging and the intersection of cognition, motivation and emotion. In J. Birren & K.W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the Psychology of Aging. San Diego: Academic Press, Sixth Edition.

Fung, H.H. & Carstensen, L.L. (2006). Goals change when life's fragility is primed: Lessons learned from older adults, the September 11th attacks and SARS. Social Cognition, 24, 248-278.

Schaie, K.W. & Carstensen, L.L. (Eds). (2006). Social structures, aging and self-regulation in the elderly. New York: Springer Publishing Company.

2005

Carstensen, L.L. & Mikels, J.A. (2005). At the intersection of emotion and cognition: Aging and the positivity effect. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14 (3), 117-121.

Ersner-Hershfield, H., Rice, C., Lindberg, C. & Carstensen, L. (2005). The good, the bad and the poignant. Aging Today, XXVI, 7-8.

Fung, H.H., Rice, C. & Carstensen, L.L. (2005). Reactive and proactive motivational changes across adulthood. In W. Greve, K. Rothermund & D. Wentura (Eds.), The adaptive self: Personal Continuity and Intentional Self-Development. New York: Hogrefe/Huber Publisher.

Mather, M. & Carstensen, L.L. (2005). Aging and motivated cognition: The positivity effect in attention and memory. Trends in Cognitive Science.

Mikels, J.A., Larkin, G.R., Reuter-Lorenz, P.A. & Carstensen, L.L. (2005). Divergent trajectories in the aging mind: Changes in working memory for affective versus visual information with age. Psychology & Aging, 20(4),542-553.

2004

Charles, S.T. & Carstensen, L.L. (2004). A life-span view of emotional functioning in adulthood and old age. In P. Costa (Ed.), Advances in Cell Aging and Gerontology Series: Vol. 15. Recent advances in psychology and aging. (pp. 133-162) Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Fung, H. & Carstensen, L.L. (2004) Motivational changes in response to blocked goals and foreshortened time: Testing alternatives to socioemotional selectivity theory. Psychology and Aging, 19(1), 68-78.

Kennedy, Q., Mather, M., & Carstensen, L.L. (2004) The role of motivation in the age-related positive bias in autobiographical memory. Psychological Science, 15(3), 208-214.

Löckenhoff, C.E. & Carstensen, L.L. (2004). Socioemotional selectivity theory, aging, and health: The increasingly delicate balance between regulating emotions and making tough choices. Journal of Personality, 72, 1395-1424.

Mather, M., Canli, T., English, T., Whitfield, S., Wais, P., Ochsner, K., Gabrieli, J. D. E., Carstensen, L. L. (2004). Amygdala responses to emotionally valenced stimuli in older and younger adults. Psychological Science, 15(4), 259-263.

2003

Carstensen, L.L., Fung, H. & Charles, S. (2003) Socioemotional selectivity theory and the regulation of emotion in the second half of life. Motivation and Emotion, 27(2), 103-123.

Carstensen, L.L., Charles, S.T., Isaacowitz, D. & Kennedy, Q. (2003). Life-span personality development and emotion. (pp. 726-746). In R.J. Davidson, K. Scherer & H.H. Goldsmith (Eds.), Handbook of Affective Sciences. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Carstensen, L.L. & Löckenhoff, C.E. (2003). Aging, emotion, and evolution: The bigger picture. In P. Ekman, J. J. Campos, R. J. Davidson & F. B. M. de Waal (Eds.), Emotions Inside Out: 130 Years after Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (Vol. 1000, pp. 152-179). New York: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Charles, S., Mather, M. & Carstensen, L.L. (2003). Aging and emotional memory: The forgettable nature of negative images for older adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 132(2).

Fung, H.& Carstensen, L.L. (2003). Sending memorable messages to the old: Age differences in preferences and memory for advertisements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(1), 163-178.

Isaacowitz, D., Smith, T.B., & Carstensen, L.L. (2003). Socioemotional selectivity and mental health among trauma survivors in old age. Ageing International, 28, 181-199.

Löckenhoff, C. E., & Carstensen, L. L. (2003). Is the life-span theory of control a theory of development or a theory of coping? In S. Zarit, L. Pearlin, & K.W. Schaie, (Eds.), Personal Control in Social and Life Span Contexts. New York: Springer.

Mather, M. & Carstensen, L.L. (2003). Aging and attentional biases for emotional faces. Psychological Science, 14(5), 409-415.

Pasupathi, M. & Carstensen, L.L. (2003). Age and emotional experience during mutual reminiscing. Psychology and Aging, 18(3), 430-442.

2002

Carstensen, L.L. & Charles, S.T. (2002). Human Aging: Why is even good news taken as bad? In L. Aspinwall & U. Staudinger (Eds.), A psychology of human strengths: Perspectives on an emerging field. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Charles, S. T. & Carstensen, L.L. (2002). Marriage in old age. (pp. 236-254). In M. Yalom & L.L. Carstensen, L.L. (Eds.), Inside the American Couple: New Insights, New Challenges. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. (Reprinted in U.S. Japan Women's Journal, (2000). 27, 3-18.)

Fung, H.H. & Carstensen, L.L. (2002, March-April). The knowledge of our years: Time so limited, life so precious. Aging Today, 23(2), 9, 11.

Lang, F. R. & Carstensen, L.L. (2002). Time counts: Future time perspective, goals and social relationships. Psychology and Aging. 17, 125-139.

Pasupathi, M., Henry, R. & Carstensen, L.L. (2002). Age and ethnicity differences in storytelling to young children: Emotionality, relationality and socialization. Psychology and Aging, 17, 610-621.

Rice, C. J., Löckenhoff, C.E., & Carstensen, L.L. (2002). Chasing independence and productivity: How Western culture influences individual and scientific accounts of aging (spanish) (english version). Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología, 34(1-2), 133-154.

Yalom, M. & Carstensen, L.L. (Eds.). (2002) Inside the American Couple, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

2001

Carstensen, L.L. (2001). Adult personality development. (pp.11290-11295). In N. J. Smelzer & P.B. Baltes (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. 16, Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Ltd.

Carstensen, L.L. (2001). Emotion and aging. (327-329). In G. Maddox (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Aging. (3rd ed.). New York: Springer Publishing Co.

Carstensen, L.L. (2001) Margret M. Baltes: Dependency and success in aging. Contemporary Gerontology, 8, 2-5.

Charles, S.T., Carstensen, L.L. & McFall, R.M. (2001). Problem solving in the nursing home environment: Age and experience differences in emotional reactions and responses. Journal of Clinical Geropsychology. , 7, 319-330.

Fisher, J.E., Zeiss, A.M., & Carstensen, L.L. (2001). Psychopathology in the aged. (921-951). In P.B. Sutker & H.E. Adams (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of psychopatholoy. (3rd Ed) Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Fung, H.H., Carstensen, L.L. & Lang, F. (2001). Age-related patterns in social networks among European-Americans and African-Americans: Implications for socioemotional selectivity across the life span. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 52, 185-206.

Kennedy, Q., Fung, H. & Carstensen, L.L. (2001). Aging, time estimation and emotion: An multidisciplinary exploration. (pp. 51-74) In S.H. McFadden & R.C. Atchley (Eds.), Aging and the meaning of time. New York: Springer.

2000

Carstensen, L.L. (2000). Keeping aging minds sharp. The Scientist, 14, 6.

Carstensen, L.L. (2000). Social gerontological theories. In A. Kazdin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Psychology. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Carstensen, L.L., Graff, J. & Lang, F. (2000). Psychology’s contributions to gerontology (pp.29-48). In J. E. Clair (Ed.),The Gerontological Prism:Developing Interdisciplinary Bridges. Amityville, NY: Baywood Publishing.

Carstensen, L.L., Charles, S. & Isaacowitz, D. (2000). Applying science to human behavior. American Psychologist, 55(3), 343.

Carstensen, L.L., Pasupathi, M., Mayr, U. & Nesselroade, J. (2000). Emotional experience in everyday life across the adult life span. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 79, 644-655.

Isaacowitz, D., Charles, S. & Carstensen, L.L. (2000). Emotion and cognition.(pp. 593-631). In G. Craik & T. Salthouse (Eds.) Handbook of aging and cognition (2nd Edition). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers.

Stern, P. & Carstensen, L.L. (Eds.). (2000). The aging mind: Opportunities in cognitive aging. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Tsai, J.L., Levenson, R.W. & Carstensen, L.L. (2000). Autonomic, expressive and subjective responses to emotional films in younger and older adults of European American and Chinese descent. Psychology and Aging. 15, 684-693.

1999

Baltes, M.M. & Carstensen, L.L. (1999). Social psychological theories and their applications to aging: From individual to collective (pp. 209-226). In V. Bengtson, & K.W. Schaie (Eds.) Handbook of theories of aging. New York: Springer.

Carstensen, L.L., Isaacowitz, D. & Charles, S.T. ( 1999). Taking time seriously: A theory of socioemotional selectivity. American Psychologist, 54, 165-181.

Carstensen, L.L. & Charles, S.T. (1999). Emotion in the second half of life. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 7, 144-149. (Reprinted in Annual Editions: Human Development, 2000/2001, Sluice Dock: CT: Dushkin/McGraw Hill, 213-217; Reprinted in Current Directions Readers, 2004).

Charles, S.T. & Carstensen, L.L. (1999). The role of time in the setting of social goals across the life span (pp. 319-342). In F. Blanchard-Fields & T. Hess (Eds.), Social cognition and aging. New York: Academic Press.

Fung, H.H., Carstensen, L.L. & Lutz, A. (1999). The influence of time on social preferences: Implications for life-span development. Psychology and Aging, 14, 595-604.

Fung, H.H., Abeles, R.P. & Carstensen, L.L. (1999). Psychological control in later life: Implications for life-span development.(pp. 345-372). M. Lerner & J. Brandtstädter (Eds.), Action and development: Origins and functions of intentional self development. Hillsdale, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Pasupathi, M., Carstensen, L.L., Levenson, R.W., & Gottman, J.M. (1999). Responsive listening in long-married couples: A psycholinguistic perspective. Journal of Non-Verbal Behavior, 23, 173-193.

1998 and earlier

Carstensen, L.L., & Fredrickson, B.L. (1998). The influence of HIV-status and age on cognitive representations of others. Health Psychology, 17, 1-10.

Lang, F., Staudinger, U. & Carstensen, L.L. (1998). Perspectives on socioemotional selectivity in late life: How personality and social context do (and do not) make a difference. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 53B, 21-30.

Gross, J., Carstensen, L.L., Pasupathi, M. Tsai, J. & Götestam Skorpen, C. & Hsu, A. (1997). Emotion and aging: Experience, expression and control. Psychology and Aging, 12, 590-599.

Carstensen, L.L., Gottman, J.M., & Levenson, R.W. (1995). Emotional behavior in long-term marriage. Psychology and Aging, 10, 140-149.

Levenson, R., Carstensen, L., & Gottman, J. (1994) The influence of age and gender on affect, physiology and their interrelations: A study of long-term marriages. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 56-68.

Carstensen, L.L. & Turk-Charles, S. (1994). The salience of emotion across the adult life course. Psychology and Aging. 9, 259-264.

Lang, F.R. & Carstensen, L.L. (1994). Close emotional relationships in late life: Further support for proactive aging in the social domain. Psychology and Aging, 9, 315-324.

Levenson, R.W., Carstensen, L.L. & Gottman, J.M. (1993). Long-term marriage: Age, gender and satisfaction. Psychology and Aging, 8, 301-313.

Carstensen, L.L. (1992). Social and emotional patterns in adulthood: Support for socioemotional selectivity theory. Psychology and Aging, 7, 331-338.

Levenson, R.W., Carstensen, L.L., Friesen, W.V., & Ekman, P. (1991). Emotion, physiology and expression in old old age. Psychology and Aging, 6, 28-35.

Meeks, S., Carstensen, L.L., Stafford, P., Brenner, L.L., Weathers, F., Welch, R., & Oltmanns, T.F. (1990). Mental health needs of the chronically mentally ill elderly. Psychology and Aging, 5, 163-171.

Fredrickson, B. L. & Carstensen, L.L. (1990). Choosing social partners: How old age and anticipated endings make us more selective. Psychology and Aging, 5, 335-347. (Reprinted in Essential papers on the psychology of aging. 1998, pp. 511-538.