Your personality may affect your brain health as you get older: Here’s how

First author Tomiko YonedaCompleted his research while earning a PhD from the University of Victoria, Canada, the PhD, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Northwestern and the University of Edinburgh, has three specific areas: integrity, neuroticism, and extroversion. I investigated personality traits and how to do it. These traits affect people’s cognitive function as they get older.

according to Susan T. CharlesPhD, Professor of Psychology and Nursing at the University of Southern California, and conscientious people who were not involved in the study are organized, hardworking, thorough and careful in their work.

“Basically, if you want a friend to pick up your luggage, or if you don’t forget to pick it up at the airport, choose the most conscientious friend,” Charles said.

Charles said that those who scored high in abduction are usually happy.

“They are also more outgoing, reporting more energy and more sociable,” she said. “You want them at your party and sell your products to you. They are also good leaders because they have positive energy.”

Charles said neuroticism was associated with self-doubt, depression, anxiety, and emotional instability.

People with this trait can be very responsive to stressors. For example, according to Charles, if you have “negative Nelly” or “worried” friends, they may be more prone to neurosis.

To better understand the relationship between these characteristics and cognitive decline, researchers examined data from 1,954 people involved in the Rush Memory and Aging project.

This study focuses on the elderly living in the Chicago Metropolitan Area and northeastern Illinois.

Survey participants have been recruited from senior housing facilities, retired communities, and church groups from 1997 to the present.

None of them were diagnosed with dementia.

Each person agreed to evaluate their personality at the beginning of the study and then receive a cognitive assessment each year.

Anyone who received at least two annual cognitive assessments or one assessment prior to death was included in the analysis.

Examination of the data showed that people with either high integrity or low neuroticism were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment as the study progressed.

Although abduction was not significantly associated with the development of mild cognitive impairment, it was found that those who scored high on this characteristic tended to maintain cognitive function for the longest time.

The data also suggested that individuals with low neuroticism and high abduction are more likely to restore normal cognitive function after being previously diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.

According to the author, this suggests that this personality trait may be protective even after a person begins to develop dementia.

The research team found no association between these personality traits and life expectancy.

Yoneda said there may be a link between personality types and the risk of cognitive decline. These personality traits can affect a person’s lifelong health behavior.

“For example, highly honest individuals are less likely to engage in dangerous behaviors (violence, drug use, etc.) and more likely to engage in health-promoting behaviors (physical activity, etc.).

However, health professionals have shown that having a particular set of personality traits does not necessarily mean that you are sticking to them. You may be able to change these traits, perhaps helping you maintain your cognitive function.

“Given the current results, the aim of improving integrity, along with extensive research in the field of personality, is to promote healthy cognitive aging (for example, through sustained behavioral changes),” said Yoneda. It’s one potential strategy. “

Charles also feels that this may be possible.

“If you think about it-cognitive-behavioral therapy by a clinical psychologist works to change our cognition (thinking) and behavior. People with depression and anxiety (the most common emotional disorder). As is often the case with, if you find that your personality is defined as a stable pattern of thoughts and behaviors, you can apply what you are doing in clinical psychology to your personality. ”

To be more conscientious, she suggests thinking about how this personality trait is characterized: loyal, organized, and credible.

“Do you know where your social security card is?” Charles asked. “Is your desk, purse, bag, something organized? Does it show up in time for work or when you say you meet a friend?”

If not, she suggests that you think about the areas of your life that are confusing and start working on them.

To be more extroverted, she proposes to work on increasing those aspects of your life related to happiness, energy, and sociability.

“Meet people, interact with them, and have fun with them. If you spend a long week at work, meet your friends on the weekends. It’s worth it,” she said.

Finally, she said, neurosis can be reduced by addressing self-esteem, self-esteem, and self-doubt and automatic thinking that make you feel sad and anxious.