Journal of psychosomatic research
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Old age has traditionally been viewed as being associated with a decline in emotional expressivity. Interestingly, empirical evidence based on analyses of facial expressions contradicts this traditionally view and points to absence of (or only very slight) age-related changes in emotional expressivity. However, this research on emotional expressivity in older persons has neglected one important emotionally colored state-expression of pain. In order to close this gap, we aimed to investigate the influence of age on the facial expression of pain. ⋯ These findings suggest that the facial expression of pain, like facial expressions of other affective states, remains unchanged in older persons. Consequently, elderly individuals seem to communicate pain through their facial expression as validly as younger individuals do.