Losing at the races or bingo may not be such a problem for older people, since those over 65 are less upset by loss than twenty-somethings. But they are just as glad of a win, new brain scans suggest.

Gregory Larkin at Stanford University in California, US, and colleagues compared the way the over 65s respond to losing and winning, compared with people aged between 19 and 27.

Participants were shown cues telling them they could either win or lose money. They had to rate their own excitement at the prospects while their brain activity was monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

The researchers found in both the self-reported tests and the fMRI scans, that younger adults showed more activity their insula and caudate -- areas of the brain involved in processing emotion -- when anticipating losses than the elderly. However, when winning money activity in the "emotion" area was the same regardless of age.

Benedetto de Martino at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, UK, who was not involved in the study, says that experiencing reduced negative emotions could enhance well-being.

However, it could affect decision-making in older people, he says. If older people experience less negative emotion, this means they will process losses differently.

(source: New Scientist, April 29, 2007; http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11741-younger-generation-has-greater-fear-of-loss.html)