American neuroscientists from Columbia University in New York state have found that being open to new experiences expands a person’s cognitive reserve and alleviates age-related decline in the brain’s cognitive abilities. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Neurobiology of Aging (NBA).
It is a set of personality traits such as openness, imagination, curiosity, and broad interests.
Cognitive reserve may protect against the negative effects of various brain pathologies, including Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.
399 people between the ages of 19 and 80 participated in the study. Each participant completed a battery of cognitive tests designed to measure performance in four areas: thought fluency, vocabulary, memory, and perceptual speed.
Scientists have noticed a positive correlation between higher levels of openness and increased cognitive reserve. Openness has been found to be beneficial in several cognitive domains, such as flexible thinking, vocabulary, and perceptual speed.
Interestingly, the protective effect of openness was particularly notable in the domain of perceptual speed. The study found that people with high levels of openness showed little change in perceptual speed over time. In contrast, people with lower openness showed a greater decline in this cognitive domain as their brain health declined.
Although the protective effect of high openness is clear, the study did not find similar protective links for other personality traits such as conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, or neuroticism. This specificity suggests that the mechanisms by which openness affects cognitive reserve may be unique and different from other personality traits.
Previous scientists named A type of handicraft that improves the condition of people with mental disorders.