Socioemotional Selectivity Theory: The Role of Perceived Endings in Human Motivation.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and theoretical overview (award lecture) presenting no new primary empirical data or systematic synthesis.
PubMed 34718558 · doi:10.1093/geront/gnab116
What was done
This paper, based on the 2015 Robert W. Kleemeier Award Lecture, provides a narrative overview of the development and empirical research program of socioemotional selectivity theory (SST), which examines how perceived time horizons (such as aging, severe illness, or geographic relocation) influence human motivation across the lifespan.
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data, sample sizes, or statistical metrics. It describes the core theoretical model: as perceived time horizons narrow, individuals shift motivation from exploratory goals toward emotionally meaningful goals, leading to changes in social networks, decision preferences, and cognitive processing (specifically the positivity effect).
Why it matters
It outlines a major life-span developmental theory explaining why older adults and individuals facing constrained time horizons prioritize emotional meaning and positive emotional experiences.
Limits
The abstract contains no primary experimental data, statistical effect sizes, or quantitative meta-analyses. As an invited award lecture and narrative summary, it does not follow systematic review methods or address study quality and selection bias across the cited literature.
Cited by
- supports Research by Laura Carstensen shows that when younger individuals are given a limited time perspective, such as being told they only have 5 to 10 years left to live, they make choices similar to older adults.