Your Personality may Determine Your Risk of Cognitive Decline

Late cognitive functioning in life may be associated with varied personality traits as per a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, by the American Psychological Association. Moody or emotionally unstable people are more likely to experience cognitive decline late in life, whereas people with organized skills and higher levels of self-discipline are less likely to develop age-related cognitive impairment.

The research focused on the role three of the so-called “Big Five” personality traits (conscientiousness, neuroticism and extraversion) play in cognitive functioning later in life.

Personality Define your Cognition

“Personality traits reflect relatively enduring patterns of thinking and behaving, which may cumulatively affect engagement in healthy and unhealthy behaviors and thought patterns across the lifespan. The accumulation of lifelong experiences may then contribute to susceptibility of particular diseases or disorders, such as mild cognitive impairment, or contribute to individual differences in the ability to withstand age-related neurological changes,” says lead author Tomiko Yoneda, PhD, of the University of Victoria.

In addition, the study states that there was no association between any of the personality traits and total life expectancy.

However, the authors state that “future research is necessary on more diverse samples to provide a broader understanding of the impact of personality traits on cognitive processes and mortality later in life.”

Source-Medindia