Older people exhibit better decision-making and working memory when put in a good mood, a study finds. Researchers tested 46 adults, age 63 to 85. Before the test, half were given a thank-you card and two small bags of candy tied with a ribbon. (To avoid introducing the effects of a sugar rush, they were told not to eat the candy on the spot.) The other half got nothing.The group that received the small mood-boosters performed better on the decision-making test and at reciting numbers and letters that had been read aloud to them. The findings are consistent with earlier work showing that young adults in a positive mood do better at mental tasks.
"Positive Feelings Facilitate Working Memory and Complex Decision Making Among Older Adults," Stephanie M. Carpenter, Ellen Peters, Daniel Västfjäll and Alice M. Isen, Cognition and Emotion
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