Aging Brain Makes it Difficult to Spot Scams

Do you remember a time when you had a gut feeling that someone was a bit shady? Two new studies suggest that as we age, our internal warning system seems to diminish, which could explain why older people are more often the victims of scams.

According to researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, age-related brain changes may make us less able to recognize shifty, suspicious-looking facial expressions. The two studies, published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are the first to find that the aging brain sends out fewer warning signs about untrustworthy people than the brains of younger adults.

"There are cues [in facial expressions] associated with actual deceitful behavior," says study author Shelly Taylor, a professor of health psychology at UCLA. The studies she and her colleagues conducted found "quite a significant difference" in the abilities of older and younger adults to recognize devious expressions like an insincere smile or not making eye contact.

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