Socioemotional selectivity theory describes aging's effect on goals and relationships. Which statement reflects this theory?

• A. Relationships are abandoned as people age.
• B. Age leads to more novelty seeking.
• C. Emotional goals become less important.
• D. As people age they prioritize emotionally meaningful goals and relationships; focusing on positive experiences and satisfaction.

Answer: (D)

As time horizons feel shorter with age, people shift toward emotionally meaningful goals and relationships and focus on positive experiences and satisfaction. Socioemotional selectivity theory explains this by suggesting that older adults streamline their social networks, investing in closer, more satisfying relationships while avoiding negativity. The statement that best reflects this is that aging leads people to prioritize emotionally meaningful goals and relationships and to focus on positive experiences and personal satisfaction. The other ideas don’t fit: relationships aren’t abandoned but refined to those that nurture well-being; novelty seeking generally decreases rather than increases; and emotional goals become more, not less, important as people age.