A new study has revealed that as people age, they are more likely to interpret facial expressions as happy, even when the cues are neutral or negative. Researchers have identified a ‘positivity bias’ in older adults, meaning they tend to label ambiguous expressions as happy rather than sad or angry.
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“This indicates that ageing individuals are more likely to perceive unclear expressions positively,” explained lead author Dr Noham Wolpe to BBC Science Focus. “Crucially, this bias was associated with subtle cognitive decline and changes in brain circuits involved in emotion processing and decision-making.”
The team examined data from over 600 adults, using emotion recognition tasks alongside brain scans. They observed structural differences in the hippocampus and amygdala, as well as altered connectivity with the orbitofrontal cortex, which evaluates emotional information to guide decisions.
“These regions form a network essential for interpreting emotions and making choices,” Wolpe said, noting that in adults showing cognitive decline, the connections between the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala were stronger. “This could explain why ambiguous or neutral expressions are often perceived as positive.”
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While the research is still in its early stages, the findings may have important implications. As emotional processing can shift before noticeable memory loss, the positivity bias could eventually serve as an early indicator of dementia.
“Although emotion recognition testing cannot replace existing cognitive assessments yet, it might one day complement standard screening to aid early detection,” Wolpe added.
The team is exploring new approaches, including immersive virtual reality tasks, to better capture how people naturally respond to emotional cues. Future research will determine whether the positivity bias can reliably predict cognitive decline. Follow-up assessments of participants from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience study have recently been completed, approximately 12 years after initial testing, with data also linked to GP records to track dementia diagnoses.
“The key message,” Wolpe concluded, “is that subtle emotional responses may reveal early brain changes long before the typical symptoms of dementia emerge. Understanding these links could enable faster detection and earlier, more effective interventions.”
