29 November 2023 , 17:39
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Looking on the bright side of life could help to protect you against dementia.
People with “positive” personality traits are less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than those with neurotic or negative traits, a study shows. Scientists believe this is because they cope better and “work around” mental impairments as they age. Researchers looked at data from eight studies involving more than 44,000 people – 1,703 of whom went on to develop dementia.
They looked at life satisfaction and personality traits such as extraversion and neuroticism, then compared the traits with things that point to dementia, such as performance on cognitive tests. The results showed that positive people performed better in thinking tests but were no less likely to show signs of brain damage during autopsy.
Author Emorie Beck, assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, said: “A possible explanation is that some personality traits could make people more resilient to the damage caused by diseases such as Alzheimer’s.” Dr Beck said trying to cultivate a positive attitude earlier in life could help reduce a person’s dementia risk. She added that those who scored well on conscientiousness were also more likely to eat well and take care of themselves, which resulted in better long-term health.
The findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
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