Older people have 'advanced emotional intelligence'
Older people may not move as fast as youngsters, but they trump other generations when it comes to emotional intelligence, according to new research.
Compared to their younger counterparts, older people are better at seeing the positive side to situations, the study by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley indicated.
The researchers were unsurprised by the findings, suggesting that humans appear evolutionarily geared towards enhanced interpersonal skills with age.
California university researcher Robert Levenson explained: "Increasingly, it appears that the meaning of late life centres on social relationships and caring for and being cared for by others.
"Evolution seems to have tuned our nervous systems in ways that are optimal for these kinds of interpersonal and compassionate activities as we age."
Recent research by scientists at the Rush University Medical Center suggested that loss of memory function may not be due to old age.
They indicated that a type of brain lesion, associated with various forms of dementia, may actually be the cause of forgetfulness.
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