Ever been left red-faced by something a grandparent, or even Mum or Dad, said at the dinner table?
We’re probably all familiar with the idea that as we get older, we lose our “filter” – which can lead to us blurting out embarrassing or tactless things at the drop of a hat. But is there more to it than just no longer caring what people think?
According to Stephanie Wong, Lecturer/Research Fellow in Psychology, Flinders University, and Hannah Keage, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of South Australia, changes in your brain as you get older may also have something to do with it.
“The prefrontal cortex, which is located within the frontal lobes of our brains, acts as our ‘filter’, helping us say and do things in a socially appropriate way. When this part of the brain isn’t functioning properly, we might act as though we’ve lost our ‘filter’.
“As we get older, our brains start to shrink. This is a normal part of the ageing process known as brain atrophy. It affects how well our brain cells can communicate with one another. Importantly, brain atrophy doesn’t happen to all areas of the brain at once. It is particularly noticeable in the frontal lobes,” they said in The Conversation.
Could losing your “filter” be a sign of dementia?
Older adults find it harder to recognise when someone has said embarrassing or tactless things, the authors said. While this is relatively normal, Ms Wong and Prof. Keage also warn that more drastic “filter” loss could be a sign of more sinister things – like frontotemporal dementia.
“People with frontotemporal dementia present with striking changes in their personality and social behaviour. This could involve losing their normal inhibitions, disregarding social conventions and other socially inappropriate or embarrassing behaviour.
“These changes are completely out of character and are typically accompanied by other symptoms such as rigidity, loss of empathy, apathy, difficulties with reasoning and judgement, overeating or unusual food preferences and declines in self-care and personal hygiene,” they wrote.
Ultimately, they say, losing your inhibitions a little as you get older isn’t something to be too alarmed about – but if Mum or Dad is acting wildly out of character, it might be best to take them to the doctor.
