Scientists have identified unexpected age-related changes in personality

With age, people less frequently perceive the world as a zero-sum game, where one person's gain necessarily means another's loss. This conclusion was reached by psychologists from the University of Chicago and Tel Aviv University. The work was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General (JEP).

The so-called "zero-sum thinking" is characteristic of situations where there can be only one winner - for example, in sports competitions or elections. However, as researchers note, people often mistakenly apply this logic to areas where everyone can win - education, economy, or work relationships.

The analysis showed that elderly people significantly less often hold such beliefs compared to young people. They more frequently perceive resources as replenishable and life situations as potentially mutually beneficial. Moreover, the study revealed a concerning trend: modern young generations are more inclined toward zero-sum thinking than youth of past decades.

Scientists conducted four experiments involving nearly 2,500 people aged 18 to 30 and 65 to 80. Participants were asked to evaluate statements like "if someone becomes rich, then someone else necessarily becomes poorer." Young respondents significantly more often agreed with such formulations.

Even in specially modeled situations where competition essentially didn't exist - for example, in a company where bonuses were given not for comparing employees with each other, but for achieving certain criteria - young participants more often perceived what was happening as a "who beats whom" struggle.

According to researchers, one of the reasons lies in the feeling of resource scarcity. Young people develop in conditions of fierce competition for education, jobs, and housing, which can intensify the feeling that "there's not enough for everyone." Elderly people, however, rely on life experience and more often understand that the benefits of many situations manifest over time.

"If a person tends to think in terms of 'win-lose' now, this will likely change over time. Perhaps it's worth seeking advice from elders more often - they can offer a completely different perspective on the situation," the researchers noted.

In their opinion, understanding this age effect is important not only for psychology but also for education, politics, and economics, where the ability to see opportunities for "win-win" can play a key role.