Old-age emotions.
One hundred old people (age range 60-94 years) were studied with respect to the state of their emotions. The chief factors leading to emotional sterility were loneliness, retirement and decline in sensory and locomotory functions. Among the 100 subjects, 60 were optimists and 40 were pessimists; most of the pessimists were lonely people. Suggestions are made for combating emotional "emptiness" before it leads to catastrophic mental impairment.
D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000517:prevention & control; D000368:Aged; D001290:Attitude; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008132:Loneliness; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012179:Retirement