Well, almost.

The Times article that I read, As People Age…. was attempting to determine if an aging brain responds differently than a younger brain to a promise of rewards. The volunteers were playing on line computer games. Their responses were measured when they anticipated winning money and when they actually did win money.

It appears that the brain responds differently to dopamine, a chemical messenger, as we age.
The result, they surmised, is a mellower older individual. The highs may not be as high, but neither are the lows as low.

Hmm, not so sure. It seemed to me that the flaw in the study might have been the decision to use on line computer games. How many of us really really feel highly stimulated by playing on line games?? Did the idea of winning money really motivate? Doesn't do much for me. Ho hum, yawn.

Had the reward been a really hunky, Erica Jong type fantasy (refer to her book, Fear Of Flying if you don't know what I am referring to…) would the results of the study been different?

Maybe not, but then again, they'd probably get more volunteers.