A recent study funded by the National Institute on Aging has found a link between personality traits and the risk of developing dementia. Researchers from Northwestern University and the University of California Davis analyzed data from eight longitudinal studies with over 44,500 participants, of which 1,703 developed dementia. The study, published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia, discovered that individuals with traits such as conscientiousness, extraversion, and positive affect had a lower risk of dementia, while those with negative affect and neuroticism had a higher risk.
The researchers “harmonized the data” and tested how personality traits and well-being reports corresponded with the neuropsychological and neuropathological characteristics of dementia. The results suggest that certain personality traits, like neuroticism and low conscientiousness, could serve as warning signs for dementia. Conversely, individuals who exhibited traits like conscientiousness, extraversion, and positive affect were less likely to develop dementia.
However, the study acknowledged limitations, such as the lack of representation by race in the participant data. The researchers emphasized the need for further research to explore connections between personality traits and dementia using biomarkers and a more diverse sample set.
