年過六旬纔是情商最高時刻

If your grandparents seem wiser and more caring than you there appears to be a scientific reason for it. Researchers have discovered that 'emotional intelligence' peaks after the age of 60. As a result, older generations have more sensitivity and empathy than younger adults. They are also better at seeing the positive side of stressful situations.

如果你的祖母或者祖父在你面前表現得既體貼、又超自信，教你這教你那，不停地告訴你：他們吃過的鹽比你吃的米還多，千萬別認爲他們是“倚老賣老”。科學證明了老年人的情商相對年輕人會更高，說明“薑還是老的辣”還是不無道理的。有數據證明，人的但凡超過60歲，他的情商會到達一個“巔峯”，而且老年人會更敏感以及用“同理心”來對待小一輩。他們在面臨壓力的時候更喜歡從積極的方面看問題。

'Increasingly, it appears that the meaning of late life centres on social relationships and caring for and being cared for by others,' said psychologist Professor Robert Levenson, from the University of California at Berkeley. In one study, the scientists looked at how 144 healthy adults in their 20s, 40s and 60s reacted to neutral, sad and 'disgusting' film clips. articipants were asked to adopt a detached and objective attitude, show no emotion, or focus on the positive aspects of what they were seeing. The findings, published in the journal Psychology and Aging, showed it was easier for older people to see negative scenes in a positive light.

來自加利福利亞大學的心理學家Robert Levenson證實，當人步入老齡化狀態，會更容易把生活的中心放在處理人際關係問題上，而且會學着多關心他人。在一項研究當中，調查了144名年齡分別爲20、40、60歲的健康成年人，研究者讓研究對象觀看會使人悲傷的影片，研究對象被告知需要用比較客觀的心情去觀看，儘量不要表現出過多的個人情感。實驗結果發表在《心理學與衰老》雜誌上，研究者發現老年人在觀看悲傷影片中表現出積極的精神。

This is a recognised coping strategy that draws on life experience and lessons learned from the past. By contrast, young and middle-aged participants were better at 'tuning out' and diverting attention away from the unpleasant films. Such 'detached appraisal' draws heavily on brain functions responsible for memory, planning and impulse control that diminish with age. All three age groups were equally good at clamping down on their emotional responses when they had to.

專家認爲，年老的人比較容易會從歷史經驗教訓、或者說嘗過的苦頭中學到一些東西，並潛意識迫使自己不在同一個石頭上再絆一跤。而年輕人在處理同一件事情上，會“迴避”痛苦，轉移注意力，不讓自己感到悲傷。這3組年齡的羣體在面對負面事物的時候都會一定成都上做出情緒上的反應。

Older participants showed more sadness in response to the films than their younger counterparts.'In late life, individuals often adopt different perspectives and goals that focus more on close interpersonal relationships,' said lead researcher Dr Benjamin Seider.'By doing so, they become increasingly sensitised to sadness because the shared experience of sadness leads to greater intimacy in interpersonal relationships.'

值得提的是，在60歲的人中，他們相比年輕人會表現出更多的悲傷情緒。專家分析，因爲在晚年生活中，老年人會把生活的中心更多放在處理人際關係上。而過密的思考如何對人、對己會加劇人的感傷情緒，使得人的情商多變化，更富有感情地對待生活。