Overview

• Across 665 participants, older adults more often labeled neutral or negative faces as positive during an emotion-recognition task.
• The positivity bias was associated with poorer performance on two cognitive tests, indicating a link with declining cognition rather than mood.
• Neuroimaging showed structural differences and altered amygdala–orbitofrontal connectivity accompanying the behavioral bias.
• The effect did not align with measures of nonclinical depressive symptoms, suggesting it reflects cognitive changes instead of emotional decline.
• The Tel Aviv University and University of Cambridge team reported the findings in the Journal of Neuroscience on August 25, 2025, and plans follow-up studies in elders with early decline and apathy.