Abstract As people get older they show an increased preference toward positive and/or away from negative information. This is known as the positivity effect and it is typically explained through the lens of socioemotional selectivity theory. According to this theory, as people get older they see time as more limited, and this causes them to prioritize emotion-related goals. Age-related changes in time horizons may also contribute to positivity effects. However, because positivity effects are thought to involve motivated goal pursuit, they are often theorized to require cognitive control resources. This review evaluates evidence that positivity effects are related to time horizons and to motivational priorities and are linked to individual differences in cognitive capabilities. It concludes that research has yielded mixed results about the links between positivity effects, time horizons, and cognitive capabilities, and that researchers should consider whether there are multiple pathways that lead to positivity effects.
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