It’s a question that science is now tackling and providing some
answers for. An estimated 80 percent of scam victims are over
the age of 65, the Federal Trade Commission says. Previous
research has indicated these victims tended to be male,
divorced/separated, and college-educated, between ages of 60 and
70. Now a new study may help explain why people become more
vulnerable to scams. In Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences (see abstract) University of California, Los Angeles
neuroscientist Shelley Taylor showed photos of faces considered
trustworthy, neutral, or untrustworthy to a group of 119 adults,
ages 55 to 84, and 24 adults, ages 20 to 42. So what constitutes
untrustworthiness? Examples include lack of eye contact, an
insincere smile, and a backward tilting head. The study found
that the ”untrustworthy” faces were ranked significantly more
trustworthy by the older test subjects than by younger ones. The
reason, the researchers say, is that the anterior insula (an
area within the cerebral cort