According to online reports, former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said that the world's recent acceleration in inflation may make it more difficult for central banks to control prices in the future. Bernanke hinted that central bankers may be more wary of allowing prices to soar again. He cited research showing that Fed policymakers in the 1970s, a period when the economy was hit by oil prices, were "generally more hawkish than young people." Bernanke said in his prepared remarks that the key lesson learned from the recent round of inflation is that central bank communications should pay more attention to the possibility that the outcome may differ significantly from the most likely forecast, and that if reality differs from the forecast, monetary policy will respond appropriately. A better communication strategy might be for the Fed to state that its basic forecast envisages temporary inflation.