Being too cynical could lead to dementia

A new study has revealed that people with high intensity cynical distrust were three times more likely to develop dementia than people with low levels of cynicism.

Anna-Maija Tolppanen, PhD said that the results add to the evidence that people's view on life and personality may have an impact on their health.

He further explained that it is important to understand how a personality trait like cynicism affects risk for dementia because it might help them to find an approach that could reduce risks for the disease.

Researchers also looked at whether people with high levels of cynicism were more likely to die sooner than people with low levels, as initially high cynicism was associated with earlier death, however they concluded that there was no longer any link between the two factors.

The study is published online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.