Your personality may impact your risk of dementia, a new study finds.
Research, published last month in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, found that people who have the Big Five personality trait of conscientiousness, as well as positive affect (positive well-being and life satisfaction), are less likely to be diagnosed with dementia.
Conversely, high scores on negative traits like neuroticism and negative affect, along with low scores on positive traits (conscientiousness, extraversion, positive affect), were associated with a higher risk of dementia diagnosis.
To come to these conclusions, researchers considered data from eight previously published studies, including more than 44,000 people.
During the study, they examined measures of the Big Five personality traits (conscientiousness, extraversion, openness to experience, neuroticism, and agreeableness) as well as subjective well-being and life satisfaction (positive or negative affect) and compared that to clinical symptoms of dementia.
This study helps target possible points of intervention to help prevent dementia or slow the disease’s progression down, explained Eileen K. Graham, PhD, an author of the study and associate professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine.
This is especially important because a cure for dementia is not likely to be found anytime soon, she told Health.
“This study also highlights the promise of psychosocial and lifestyle interventions to reduce long-term dementia risk,” Emorie D. Beck, PhD, the study’s lead author and assistant professor of personality and individual differences, University of California, Davis, told Health.
“We are already seeing new behavioral interventions and funding calls for such interventions emerging, and I think we’ll continue to see a lot more of those,” she said.
Here’s how certain personality traits may influence dementia risk, as well as what can be done to lower said risk.
Getty Images / Morsa Images
According to Beck and Graham, personality traits like conscientiousness may reduce the risk of dementia through behaviors that are associated with that particular trait.
For example, people who score high in conscientiousness may be more likely to take care of their health. They also may find ways—even if they are not aware of it—to cope with or work around cognitive impairments.
“[Similarly], extroverts thrive on socialization, which facilitates the formation of healthy social networks of friends and family,” Zaldy Tan, MD, MPH, medical director of the Jona Goldrich Center for Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders at Cedars-Sinai, told Health.
This very likely could be because social isolation and depression are linked to increased risk for dementia, meaning being extroverted could, even if not on purpose, help prevent the development of memory problems.
“[Likewise], conscientiousness is a personality trait associated with being responsible, goal-oriented, and organized, which are all qualities that promote overall physical and mental health,” said Tan, who also serves as the director of the Memory & Healthy Aging Program and director of the CARES program at Cedars-Sinai.
Additionally, Beck explained that someone high in extraversion might be more likely to seek out support from someone who could help them navigate the world in the face of cognitive impairment.
“In addition, conscientious people likely have behaviors and routines they can rely on to continue functioning in the face of impairment,” she said.
According to Beck and Graham, personality traits tend to be stable, but researchers have found that people can, and do, change throughout their lives.
What’s more, intervention studies, as well as the motivation to make intentional changes, allow people to change their personalities.
When considering personality traits and dementia risk, Tan explained that people should focus on the positive behaviors linked to certain personality traits—rather than the traits themselves—to lower the risk for dementia.
“Thus, rather than trying to change our personality, we should instead focus on practicing the positive behaviors associated with these personality traits, even though they may not come naturally to us at first,” he said.
To assess Big Five personality traits, Beck recommends the test from FiveThirtyEight which uses an inventory called the Big Five Inventory-2, or SAPA, which is a longer test that looks at additional personality traits.
Graham explained that by using a “not too late never too soon” mentality, people can adopt behaviors that are typical of a higher conscientiousness individual or a lower neuroticism individual.
These might include things like increasing your motivation and organizational skills and reducing your anxiety, impulsivity, and rumination—and maintaining those behaviors over long periods to reduce your risk.
“Conscientious individuals tend to engage in more salubrious health behaviors, such as less drinking, less smoking, and more exercise, which are known to also be influencers of downstream cognitive health,” said Beck.
She explained that, in contrast, people higher in neuroticism tend to engage in less salubrious behaviors, which accrue to long-term health risks. The sooner those behaviors can be changed, the better.
Tan added that you also should focus on things that improve your health, such as eating a nutritious diet, getting regular exercise, prioritizing restful sleep, lowering stress, and protecting your head from trauma.
Just like with heart health, it’s the sum and consistency of these healthy habits rather than the individual components that count, he explained.
“Even if we can’t necessarily prevent the disease itself, we can possibly mitigate the clinical signs of disease and reduce our odds of cognitive impairment,” Beck and Graham told Health.
