Cynical people ‘more likely to develop dementia’

New research has revealed that people with a cynical outlook are more likely to develop dementia in later life.

Cynical distrust – defined as the belief that others are mainly motivated by selfish concerns – has been associated with other health problems such as heart disease, but this study – published in Neurology – is the first to link this personality trait with dementia.

A total of 1,449 people with an average age of 71 were given tests for dementia and a questionnaire to measure their level of cynicism. Of the 622 people who completed two tests for dementia, 46 people were diagnosed with the condition.

It was revealed that people with high levels of cynical distrust were three times more likely to develop dementia than people with low levels of cynicism.

Study author Dr Anna-Maija Tolppanen of the University of Eastern Finland said: "Understanding how a personality trait like cynicism affects risk for dementia might provide us with important insights on how to reduce risks for dementia."

Dementia is a common condition that affects about 800,000 people in the UK. This number is expected to rise in the coming years as the average age of the population increases.