The primary mission of the emotion and health research lab is to address emotion regulation and well-being across the lifespan in a variety of contexts top optimize successful aging . We also have developed a strong health psychology orientation looking at physiological reactivity to appraised stress, genetic predictors of depression, and a behavioral genetic study of personality traits. Our theoretical orientation is based on Strength and Vulnerability Integration (SAVI). The theory posits that, as people age, they become increasingly adept at employing thoughts and behaviors to mitigate stressful situations (Charles, 2010; Charles & Luong, 2013). When they are not successful, however, the vulnerabilities of aging make it difficult to effectively regulate the higher levels of emotional arousal that ensure. By understanding the circumstances in life that allow older adults to use the strengths of aging, we can predict when age is related to high levels of emotional well-being, and when they will lose their age-related advantages.