In this Moment of Science Don and Yael discuss how our emotions might change as we age. D: The older my parents get the more boring they become. First of all, they always spend their time with the same group of friends. They rarely go out and meet new people. Second, they almost never seem to get angry anymore. Even when they're in an argument they keep their voices low, and they speak calmly and almost sweetly. It's kind of sickening.

Y: Seems your complaints about your parents boil down to the fact that they invest their time into deep, intimate friendships and that they are in control of their anger. Gee, Don, your parents sound--let's see--healthy. In fact, their emotional health probably has a lot to do with their age. Research has found that as people age they experience fewer negative emotions like anger and that their positive emotions like happiness last longer in duration than they do in younger people. Older people also seem to be better at controlling their negative emotions so that even when they are talking about problems in their marriage, for example, they don't let their anger get the best of them. What's more, elderly people seem to care more about the emotional quality of already established relationships. One researcher theorizes that because older people have less time left in their lives they are more likely to desire relationships with emotional depth rather than more fleeting, casual relationships.

D: So basically you're saying that with age comes boringness. Emotional health. Boringness. Same thing. I hope I never get old.

Y: Don't worry, Don. Sounds to me like you've got a ways to go.