title: Emotional complexity and its effect on psychological distress as a function of chronological age and subjective distance-to-death.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In light of mixed evidence regarding the associations between age, emotional complexity, and psychological distress, this study examined emotional complexity and its effect on psychological distress as a function of age and subjective distance-to-death.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 188 participants (age range = 29-100) rated their subjective distance-to-death and psychological distress, and reported their emotions across 14 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Emotional complexity was unrelated to age, but negatively related to feeling closer to death. Moreover, emotional complexity was negatively related to psychological distress among those feeling closer to death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that when death is perceived to be nearer, emotional complexity is hampered, yet becomes relevant in buffering psychological distress.
authors.affiliation: a Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences and the Music Department , Bar-Ilan University , Ramat Gan , Israel.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shrira
authors.forename: Ehud
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bodner
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Palgi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003643:Death; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: chronological age; emotional complexity; psychological distress; subjective distance-to-death