Old people give most honest advice (also, harshest) - via Boing Boing

I did not know this! Older people tend to lose their "executive functions", the ability to control impulses in response to stimuli. Among the executive functions are the ability to control inappropriate actions. There are at least five types of situations (see the Wikipedia link above) that require non-routine responses.

1. Those that involve planning or decision making.
2. Those that involve error correction or troubleshooting.
3. Situations where responses are not well-rehearsed or contain novel sequences of actions.
4. Dangerous or technically difficult situations.
5. Situations that require the overcoming of a strong habitual response or resisting temptation.

In losing their executive functions, however, older people apparently become more honest, and sometimes hurtful, in their response  Older people will sometimes call fat people fat and suggest they exercise or eat less. Younger people don't do that.


As usual with social sciences, there is no way in the world to control enough variables to draw any useful conclusions. The first three comments for this Scientific American article really rock!

Could it not be that older folks no longer care for the social "niceties?" They know there are no significant social downsides to honest responses at their stage of life.
Grandma is independently wealthy and she won't hold her tongue. Were she broke she'd worry that someday you'd put her in that home she saw on 60 minutes.
Or maybe it's because the old folk have more insight, (been there, done it, got the T shirt, got the scars) and more importantly,  have the wisdom and experience to give better advice? I should know, I'm really,really old...
Quod erat whuuuut?