A new study found that being in a good mood helps boost brain power in older people, say researchers from Ohio State University.
"There has been lots of research showing that younger adults are more creative and cognitively flexible when they are in a good mood. But because of the cognitive declines that come with aging, we weren't sure that a good mood would be able to help older adults," said Ellen Peters, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at Ohio State University. "So these results are good news. There are ways for older adults to overcome some of the cognitive declines that come with aging."
The study was conducted on 46 adults aged between 63 and 85 years of age. Twenty-three of the participants were put into a good mood by receiving cards and candy bags while arriving at the clinic while the other 23 were left in "neutral mood."
Both groups were given $3 each and a deck of cards and were asked to participate in a card game which was to observe how quickly one could pick the cards that made them earn the most money. It was found that the participants that were in a good mood took better decisions than the participants who were in a neutral mood.
"We used an experiential task because real life is experiential," Peters said. "For example, you meet a new person and she is like one of these decks of cards. You don't know anything about her and you have to learn if she is someone you can trust. What this study suggests is that people who are in a good mood are going to learn faster and make better decisions."
The study also found that older people had better memory power when in a good mood.
"Working memory is important in decision making," Peters said. "If you're working your way through different options, how much you can remember of each option -- and can therefore compare and contrast in your head -- has a big impact on how well you can make a decision."
