Certain personality traits associated with cognitive functioning late in
life
People high in conscientiousness, low in neuroticism, less likely to
develop mild cognitive impairment

Date:
April 11, 2022
Source:
American Psychological Association
Summary:
People who are organized, with high levels of self-discipline,
may be less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment as they
age, while people who are moody or emotionally unstable are more
likely to experience cognitive decline late in life, according to
new research.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== People who are organized, with high levels of self-discipline, may be less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment as they age, while people
who are moody or emotionally unstable are more likely to experience
cognitive decline late in life, according to research published by the
American Psychological Association.


==========================================================================
The research, published in the Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 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 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," said
lead author Tomiko Yoneda, PhD, of the University of Victoria. "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." Individuals who score high in conscientiousness tend to be responsible, organized, hard-working and goal-directed. Those who score high on neuroticism have low emotional
stability and have a tendency toward mood swings, anxiety, depression, self-doubt and other negative feelings. Extraverts draw energy from being around others and directing their energies toward people and the outside
world. They tend to be enthusiastic, gregarious, talkative and assertive, according to Yoneda.

To better understand the relationship between personality traits and
cognitive impairment later in life, researchers analyzed data from 1,954 participants in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a longitudinal study
of older adults living in the greater Chicago metropolitan region and northeastern Illinois.

Participants without a formal diagnosis of dementia were recruited from retirement communities, church groups, and subsidized senior housing
facilities beginning in 1997 and continuing to the present. Participants received a personality assessment and agreed to annual assessments
of their cognitive abilities. The study included participants who had
received at least two annual cognitive assessments or one assessment
prior to death.

Participants who scored either high on conscientiousness or low in
neuroticism were significantly less likely to progress from normal
cognition to mild cognitive impairment over the course of the study.

"Scoring approximately six more points on a conscientiousness scale
ranging 0 to 48 was associated with a 22% decreased risk of transitioning
from normal cognitive functioning to mild cognitive impairment,"
said Yoneda.

"Additionally, scoring approximately seven more points on a neuroticism
scale of 0 to 48 was associated with a 12% increased risk of transition." Researchers found no association between extraversion and ultimate
development of mild cognitive impairment, but they did find that
participants who scored high on extraversion -- along with those who
scored either high on conscientiousness or low in neuroticism -- tended
to maintain normal cognitive functioning longer than others.

For example, 80-year-old participants who were high in
conscientiousness were estimated to live nearly two years longer
without cognitive impairment compared with individuals who were low in conscientiousness. Participants high in extraversion were estimated to
maintain healthy cognition for approximately a year longer. In contrast,
high neuroticism was associated with at least one less year of healthy cognitive functioning, highlighting the harms associated with the
long-term experience of perceived stress and emotional instability,
according to Yoneda.

Additionally, individuals lower in neuroticism and higher in extraversion
were more likely to recover to normal cognitive function after receiving
a previous diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, suggesting that these
traits may be protective even after an individual starts to progress to dementia. In the case of extraversion, this finding may be indicative
of the benefits of social interaction for improving cognitive outcomes, according to Yoneda.

There was no association between any of the personality traits and total
life expectancy.

Yoneda noted that the findings are limited due to the primarily white
(87%) and female (74%) makeup of the participants. Participants were also highly educated, with nearly 15 years of education on average. Future
research is necessary on more diverse samples of older adults and should include the other two of the big five personality traits (agreeableness
and openness) to be more generalizable and provide a broader understanding
of the impact of personality traits on cognitive processes and mortality
later in life, she said.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
American_Psychological_Association. Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Tomiko Yoneda, Eileen Graham, Tristen Lozinski, David A. Bennett,
Daniel
Mroczek, Andrea M. Piccinin, Scott M. Hofer, Graciela Muniz-Terrera.

Personality traits, cognitive states, and mortality in older
adulthood.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2022; DOI: 10.1037/
pspp0000418 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220411101359.htm

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