Date:
May 28, 2014
Source:
American Academy of Neurology
Summary:
People with high levels
of cynical distrust may be more likely to develop dementia, according to
a new study. Cynical distrust, which is defined as the belief that
others are mainly motivated by selfish concerns, has been associated
with other health problems, such as heart disease. This is the first
study to look at the relationship between cynicism and dementia.
Frowning man (stock
image). New research suggests that people with high levels of cynical
distrust may be more likely to develop dementia.
Credit: © bst2012 / Fotolia
People with
high levels of cynical distrust may be more likely to develop dementia,
according to a study published in the May 28, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Cynical distrust, which is defined as the belief that others are
mainly motivated by selfish concerns, has been associated with other
health problems, such as heart disease. This is the first study to look
at the relationship between cynicism and dementia.
"These results add to the evidence that people's view on life and
personality may have an impact on their health," said study author
Anna-Maija Tolppanen, PhD, of the University of Eastern Finland in
Kuopio. "Understanding how a personality trait like cynicism affects
risk for dementia might provide us with important insights on how to
reduce risks for dementia."
For the study, 1,449 people with an average age of 71 were given
tests for dementia and a questionnaire to measure their level of
cynicism. The questionnaire has been shown to be reliable, and people's
scores tend to remain stable over periods of several years. People are
asked how much they agree with statements such as "I think most people
would lie to get ahead," "It is safer to trust nobody" and "Most people
will use somewhat unfair reasons to gain profit or an advantage rather
than lose it." Based on their scores, participants were grouped in low,
moderate and high levels of cynical distrust.
A total of 622 people completed two tests for dementia, with the last
one an average of eight years after the study started. During that
time, 46 people were diagnosed with dementia. Once researchers adjusted
for other factors that could affect dementia risk, such as high blood
pressure, high cholesterol and smoking, people with high levels of
cynical distrust were three times more likely to develop dementia than
people with low levels of cynicism. Of the 164 people with high levels
of cynicism, 14 people developed dementia, compared to nine of the 212
people with low levels of cynicism.
The study also looked at whether people with high levels of cynicism
were more likely to die sooner than people with low levels of cynicism. A
total of 1,146 people were included in this part of the analysis, and
361 people died during the average of 10 years of follow-up. High
cynicism was initially associated with earlier death, but after
researchers accounted for factors such as socioeconomic status,
behaviors such as smoking and health status, there was no longer any
link between cynicism and earlier death.
Story Source:
The above story is based on
materials provided by
American Academy of Neurology.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
- Elisa Neuvonen,
Minna Rusanen,
Alina Solomon,
Tiia Ngandu,
Tiina Laatikainen,
Hilkka Soininen,
Miia Kivipelto,
and Anna-Maija Tolppanen. Late-life cynical distrust, risk of incident dementia, and mortality in a population-based cohort. Neurology, 2014 DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000000528
Cite This Page:
American
Academy of Neurology. "Cynical? You may be hurting your brain health."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 May 2014.
.
