Personality may influence whether someone developes dementia. Dementia
is a broad category of conditions that result in cognitive decline that
interferes with daily functioning and independence including memory loss, decision-making,
and mobility. Although well-meaning friends and family try to lay diagnose, dementia
requires a medical team for diagnosis. Medications may help manage problem
behaviors and manage symptoms. As I have stated in this blog, the majority of
dementias are preventable, treatable, and reversible. YOU control how you age
and that includes avoiding cognitive decline, in most cases.
Psychologists Robert McCrae and Paul Costa
developed the Five-Factor Personality Types in the 1980’s as an extension of personality
trait theory to describe and categorize temperament or how people behave and approach
life in general. The five personality types are easy to remember using the
acronym CANOE or OCEAN:
Openness curious
-vs- cautious
Conscientious organized/disciplined -vs- disorganized/undisciplined
Extrovert outgoing -vs- solitary
Agreeable compassionate/friendly -vs- judgmental/critical
Neurotic negative
affect/emotional/reactive -vs- positive
affect/confident/resilient
A recent meta-analysis study conducted by Emorie
Beck and scientists at the University of California, Davis, (2024) analyzed
data from eight scientific studies that had a combined 44,531 participants to
determine if personality traits predict dementia. Although there have been
previous studies examining this correlation, Beck and his colleagues conducted
the first large-scale meta-analysis of the research. Of the participants
studied, 1703 developed dementia.
Protective factors included Conscientiousness
(organized/disciplined), Extraversion (outgoing), and Positive Affect (see
Neurotic above). They found that Conscientiousness is a protective factor in
people with advanced age. The Beck et al. (2024) study suggests that people who
had high Conscientiousness scores were disciplined and therefore, more likely
to eat well, exercise, and engage in behaviors that contribute to optimum
health outcomes.
I authored an article, Talking is GOOD for
the Brain, and posted it here in my blog on March 28, 2024. The brain
requires engagement and specifically, language, to keep firing. I wrote, “The
brain requires language to stimulate
neurocircuitry and neuropathways that keep the brain healthy, strong, and
functioning at maximum capacity. Social isolation and disengagement lead to a
type of mental stagnation.” It makes sense to me that a neurotic,
disagreeable, introverted, and undisciplined person is at higher risk for
dementia: People will avoid them and they will lack healthy relationships. Combine
that with unhealthy sedentary behaviors and preventable chronic conditions, and
the stage is set for developing dementia. Relationships count and this is why
extroverts have an advantage over introverts. See my blog posting from October
12, 2022. “Cultivate Friends for Healthy Aging.” Older adults with friends have
better aging outcomes than loners.
Beck and his colleagues were
surprised to learn that pathology did not always match the cognitive performance
tests. Some participants had “extensive pathology but little impairment on
cognitive testing.” Apparently, these people were able to compensate and work
around their memory impairments. Interesting to note that Dr. Snowdon’s study
of nun’s brains had similar pathology findings: At autopsy, some nuns who had
been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease showed no plaques and tangles, while
some with full cognition were full of plaques and tangles. (See my blog posting
from June 8, 2021.)
What does all this mean and
how can I apply it to my life? Does this mean that an introverted sourpuss,
curmudgeon, or grumbler will develop dementia? Not necessarily. These studies examining
personality traits and dementia are “anecdotal” which means circumstantial and
unproven. More scientific studies are required before scientists can make the
claim that personality types predict developing dementia.
However, as a gerontological
researcher and scientist, it makes sense to me that based on prior research on aging,
extroverts with positive personality traits have the advantage.
Resources and References:
Beck, E.D., Yoneda, T., James, B.D., et al. (2024) Personality
predictors of dementia diagnosis and neuropathological burden: An individual
participant data meta-analysis. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, (20), 1497-1534.
Kabigting, F. J. (2021, June). The discovery and evolution of the Big
Five of Personality Traits: A historical review. GNOSI: An Interdisciplinary
Journal of Human Theory and Praxis (4). Issue 3. (Online): 83-99.
Najm, N. (2019). Big Five Traits: A critical review. Gadjah Mada
International Journal of Business. (21). 159-186.
Snowdon, D.A. (2003). Healthy aging and dementia:
findings from the Nun Study. Annals of Internal Medicine. Retrieved
from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12965975/