Open AccessOlder age may offset genetic influence on affect: The COMT polymorphism and affective well-being across the life span.
Author(s) -
Bülent Turan,
Tamara Sims,
Sasha E Best,
Laura L. Carstensen
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
psychology and aging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.468
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1939-1498
pISSN - 0882-7974
DOI - 10.1037/pag0000085
Subject(s) - psychology , psycinfo , life span , affect (linguistics) , catechol o methyl transferase , well being , developmental psychology , subjective well being , life satisfaction , clinical psychology , cognition , young adult , gerontology , medline , genotype , happiness , psychiatry , social psychology , genetics , medicine , psychotherapist , communication , biology , political science , law , gene
The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT_Val158Met) genetic polymorphism has been linked to variation in affective well-being. Compared with Val carriers, Met carriers experience lower affective well-being. In parallel, research on aging and affective experience finds that younger adults experience poorer affective well-being than older adults. This study examined how COMT and age may interact to shape daily affective experience across the life span. Results suggest that Met (vs. Val) carriers experience lower levels of affective well-being in younger but not in older ages. These findings suggest that age-related improvements in emotional functioning may offset genetic vulnerabilities to negative affective experience. (PsycINFO Database Record