Conscientious, positive extroverts are less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than people with negative emotions. However, this difference is not due to physical damage to the brain. The study was published magazine Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
Personality traits are generally thought to influence dementia risk through behavior. For example, people who score high on conscientiousness are hypothesized to be more likely to eat well and take care of their health. In a new study, psychologists found that personality traits do not actually determine the risk of dementia but the chances of detecting it.
Scientists from the University of California at Davis and Northwestern University analyzed data from eight studies involving more than 44 thousand people. Later in 1703, dementia developed.
High scores on negative personality traits (neuroticism, negative affectivity) and low scores on positive traits (conscientiousness, extraversion, positive affectivity) were associated with a higher risk of being diagnosed with dementia. Higher scores on openness to experience, agreeableness, and life satisfaction were associated with lower risk of dementia.
However, autopsy results found no connection between these personality traits and the actual pathology in people’s brains. One explanation is that certain personality traits may make people more resilient to damage caused by diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. For example, people who are more open to new experiences and tend to think positively may find it easier to find ways to cope with mental disabilities.
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