Does Our Verbal Filter Go With Age?

Science is awesome and may have just solved the biggest mystery of all time…why the holidays are so awkward. It’s simple really, as people get older, their ability to control what comes out of their mouths fades.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh used a combination of both visual and audio cues on a group of 100 adults at various ages. They discovered that those who were older in age, lacked what scientists called, “attention-switching skills.”

To put it into English you and I can understand, the researchers found it more difficult for the older adults not to bring up sensitive information, they also weren’t as receptive to their partner’s point of view.

In the release from the University, researcher Madeleine Long noted the attention-switching gap, “This is particularly important for older adults who are more susceptible to revealing private information. We hope these findings can be used to design targeted training that helps older adults improve these skills and avoid embarrassing and potentially risky communicative errors.”



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