Thanks for keeping the disgust on this article alive. I was incensed enough to retrieve the original report from the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. The “older adult” sample had a mean age of 78.3 and included individuals as old as 93! The undergraduate panel was “recruited from introductory psychology courses.” Even the most ardent champion of the capabilities of mature individuals would have expected some difference in the abilities to take tests between these extremely different samples (probably a bigger variable than perceptions of humor). There are many books, newsletters, and products on the market today that recognize some gradual deterioration in memory capabilities, for instance. But, the good news from this new wave of research is that until fifteen years ago we had to accept that deterioration. Now there is good evidence that exercising the brain can minimize those differences. And there are good products and practices that can help you keep your mind sharp.

John

BTW: I didn’t get it. Or was that the joke, that there was no joke? Ferd’nand wasn’t funny, so the connection wasn’t funny?

I need to see my therapist.