According to Health Daily News, new research exploring the link between personality and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease suggests that sociable people who don’t sweat the small stuff may be more likely to remember the small stuff as they age. The study, published in the Jan. 20 issue of Neurology, adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting a link between personality traits, lifestyle and Alzheimer’s disease. “Older people who are active, outgoing and relaxed may be less likely to develop dementia,” said study author Hui-Xin Wang, with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
To measure their sociability and disposition to stress, researchers reportedly questioned 506 older individuals about their lifestyle and personality traits. After six years, 144 people had developed some form of dementia; however, researchers discovered that calm, more relaxed people, whether they had active social lives or not, were 50 percent less likely to develop dementia than those who had higher levels of neuroticism. People who were both calm and outgoing, with active social lives, were also 50 percent less likely to develop dementia. The study found that less neurotic people were more calm and self-satisfied than their more neurotic counterparts, while outgoing people tended to be more socially active and optimistic than less extroverted people.
At present, according to the National Institute on Aging, Alzheimer’s disease currently affects 2.4 to 4.5 million Americans. Unless the disease can be effectively treated or prevented, that number will increase significantly as the population ages .