Elderly as good at sizing up strangers as the young

MANY worry that their elderly relatives have become too trusting of strangers.

But researchers have found our gut instinct about whether those we encounter in the street pose a danger is as sharp when we are 80 as when we are 20.

They discovered that older people are as good as young adults at knowing when a stranger is potentially aggressive, and that being streetwise appears to be a skill honed in childhood but not fully reliable until adulthood. Psychologists from the University of Portsmouth compared threat perception in 39 people aged 59-91, and in 87 people aged 20-28.

Ninety-five per cent of both groups correctly gauged the aggression, or level of intimidation, of five women and four men filmed walking on a treadmill.

The walkers had been selected after taking an ‘aggression test’ to ensure they represented a wide cross-section of degrees of aggression.

Dr Liam Satchell, who headed the research team, said: ‘Older people can be reassured that their gut instincts about who is posing a danger are, generally, excellent.

‘There was no difference in the ability of each adult group. The results could encourage older people to recognise they are street smart, that their gut instincts are spot on.’

The study is published in Europe’s Journal of Psychology.