Dementia

Could Your Personality Lead to Dementia?

People that are inherently cynical may be more apt to develop dementia, according to a recent study. The distrust stems from a belief that others are motivated by selfish interests.  

Note: Cynicism has previously been connected to heart disease.
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In the study, researchers evaluated 1449 people with a mean age of 71. Participants were tested for dementia and administered a questionnaire to measure their level of cynicism. Participant’s scores typically remained stable over several years.

Based on the scores of the participants, they were divided and grouped into low, moderate, and high levels of cynical distrust. Researchers asked people the extent that they agree with the following statements:

  • “I think most people would lie to get ahead.”
  • “Most people will use somewhat unfair reasons to gain profit or an advantage rather than lose it.”
  • “It is safer to trust nobody.”

In total, 622 people finished 2 dementia tests; the last test occurred with a mean of 8 years after the study originated. Forty-six participants were diagnosed with dementia over that period.

Once researchers adjusted for other factors that may link to dementia (eg, smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol), participants that scored high levels of cynicism were 3 times more apt to develop dementia compared to those that scored low levels.

Moreover, results demonstrated that 14 people out of the 164 with high levels of cynical distrust manifested dementia as compared to the 9 (out of 212) who displayed low levels of cynicism.

Additionally, the researchers observed the relationship between cynicism and early mortality among participants. In this part of the study, 1146 people were analyzed; 361 participants died during the 10-year follow-up.

Initially, researchers associated high cynicism with early death. However, after investigators accounted for socioeconomic status, heath status, and habits (eg, smoking), they were unable to tie cynical distrust to early mortality.

Lead author Anna-Maija Tolppanen, PhD, from the University of Eastern Finland in Kuppio, detailed her findings from the study, “These results add to the evidence that people's view on life and personality may have an impact on their health.”

“Understanding how a personality trait like cynicism affects risk for dementia might provide us with important insights on how to reduce risks for dementia.”

The full study is published in the May issue of Neurology.

-Michelle Canales

Reference:

Neuvonen E, Rusanen M, Solomon A, et al. Late-life cynical distrust, risk of incident dementia, and mortality in a population-based cohort. Neurology. 2014 May 28 [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000000528

University of Eastern Finland. Cynical? You May Be Hurting Your Brain Health [press release]. 2014 May 28. www.uef.fi/en/-/sosiaalinen-epaluottamus-lisaa-dementian-vaaraa?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uef.fi%2Fen%2Fhome%3Fp_p_id%3D101_INSTANCE_9vsFge3Ut5NJ%26p_p_lifecycle%3D0%26p_p_state%3Dnormal%26p_p_mode%3Dview%26p_p_col_id%3Dcolumn-2%26p_p_col_pos%3D1%26p_p_col_count%3D7. Accessed May 29, 2014.