Aw: People get happier as they age

A more recent study by another team of researchers, published this month in the journal Cortex, suggests one reason: Older adults remember the past through a rosy lens.

The researchers recorded brain activity using fMRI scans while young and older adults viewed a series of photos with positive and negative themes, such as a victorious skier and a wounded soldier.

Results showed in the older adult brain, there were strong connections between emotion-processing regions of the brain and those known to be important for successful formation of memories, particularly when processing positive information. The same strong connections weren’t found for the younger participants.