Photo: Getty Images
A recent study conducted by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health showed that the personality trait of optimism can lower the risk of dementia.
“Together with previous studies, our findings provide support for the possibility that optimism causally contributes to cognitive health and may be considered an asset for brain health,” the researchers recently wrote in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Optimism was previously linked to better cognitive function, slower cognitive decline and a lower risk of dementia among elderly patients in past studies. The Harvard researchers used data from the Health and Retirement Study, a sample of U.S. adults age 50 or older, which showed that 9,000 dementia-free adults said they felt optimism by filling out the questionnaire, and their optimism was then assessed within the next two years as their cognitive function was measured.
An estimated 3,000 participants comprised the group, whose average age was 74, and the individuals who reported to have higher optimism scores were at a lower risk of developing dementia during the follow-up period, according to researchers. Every six-point score increase was linked to a 15% lower risk of dementia after researchers adjusted factors including age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, depression and chronic health conditions.
“Although optimism is a complex construct, and it is not clear exactly how it might translate in terms of future dementia prevention initiatives, this is an area which merits future research,” the researchers wrote.
More than 6 million Americans are diagnosed with dementia, which is the progressive decline in memory ability and has no cure.