Five specific personality traits that can determine your risk of dementia

08 January 2024 , 11:52

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Five personality traces have been found to influence people's chances of getting dementia (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

People can assess their chances of developing dementia based on five specific personality traits, a new study has found.

Dementia is a group of related symptoms associated with ongoing decline of brain functioning. There are many different causes and many types. The NHS says: “It's normal for your memory to be affected by stress, tiredness, certain illnesses and medicines. But if you're becoming increasingly forgetful, particularly if you're over the age of 65, it's a good idea to talk to a GP about the early signs of dementia."

Research shows there are more than 944,000 people in the UK who have dementia. 1 in 11 people over the age of 65 have dementia in the UK. The number of people with dementia is increasing because people are living longer. It is estimated that by 2030, the number of people with dementia in the UK will be more than one million.

Now researchers at the University of California have carried out a study that suggests that more positive people are less likely to get dementia. Scientists looked at 44,000 people aged 49 to 81 and rated them based on five personality traits - conscientiousness, extroversion, openness to experience, neuroticism and agreeableness.

At the same time people with more negative traits like being neurotic, less agreeable, or open to new experiences, being prone to anger and anxiety or overly conscientious were at a greater risk of dementia. Emorie Beck, assistant professor of psychology at the University of California stated: “Personality is typically thought to be linked to dementia risk through behaviour, Beck said. For example, people who score high on conscientiousness may be more likely to eat well and take care of their health, which results in better health in the long term.”

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But to the surprise of the scientists there was no link between personality traits and neuropathology - or disease in the brain - when they are studied after death. They believe that personality traits may “find ways, whether they are aware of it or not, to cope with and work around impairments”.

Other factors were also examined into the risk of suffering dementia including age, gender and education but there was no link to dementia although it was noticed that people become more conscientious as they grow older. “Many factors contribute to the development of dementia. Among those that aren’t directly related to genetics, this study is a first step in teasing out the associations between personality and dementia, Prof Beck added.

Tim Hanlon