Hostile attitude when young linked to memory problems later in life

Posted on March 4, 2016

Photo: flickr

Lenore J. Launer, PhD, of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, and colleagues surveyed 3,126 people at two stages in their life.

At the average age of 25, participants answered questions that measured their personalities and attitudes, ability to cope with stress and memory and thinking abilities. The same cognitive abilities were measured again when they reached an average age of 50.

The study showed that people with the highest levels of both traits performed significantly worse on memory and thinking tests 25 years later than the people with the lowest levels of the traits.

Launer, who is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, notes that the findings do not prove that hostile attitudes and poor coping skills cause memory and thinking impairment; they merely indicate an association.

However, she points out that if further studies can confirm a link, it could be worth searching for strategies to change these traits. This could not only promote positive social interactions and coping skills when people are young, but it might also reduce memory and thinking problems in middle age.


Category(s):Anger Management

Source material from American Academy of Neurology