Conscientiousness May Save You From Alzheimer's Disease

Are you a conscientious person? If so, your risk for Alzheimer’s disease may be reduced. Think not? Read the following.

Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person's memory, thinking, and reasoning skills. People with dementia often have trouble thinking and speaking clearly, remembering recent events, and learning new things. Over time, it becomes hard for them to handle everyday activities and take care of themselves. There are many causes of dementia, but Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in older persons.

Scientists think that up to 4.5 million people in the United States suffer from Alzheimer's disease. The disease usually begins after age 65 and risk goes up with age. While younger people also may get Alzheimer's disease, it is much less common.

The disease is characterized by abnormal clumps and tangled bundles of fibers. The clumps are now called amyloid plaques and the tangles are called neurofibrillary tangles. Today, these plaques and tangles in the brain are considered signs of Alzheimer's disease.

Change of Subject: What is Conscientiousness? The Cambridge Dictionary defines conscientiousness as putting a lot of effort into your work, such as in a conscientious student. A ‘Conscientiousness’ Test was developed which could indicate who was a conscientious person and who was not. It was a 12 item test, with such questions as: “I am a productive person who always gets the job done." Scores could range from 11 to 47.

So, what does conscientiousness and Alzheimer’s Disease have in common? Seems a lot.

The above test was used on a group of nuns and priests in 1994. Of almost 1000 participants, the average score was 34 (no, not even nuns are completely conscientious). The rate of Alzheimer’s Disease was significantly lower by approximately 89%, than in the normal population.

The interesting results were that the nuns and priests who died during this study, actually showed a certain percentage of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Apparently, those who were conscientious appeared to modify the effects of neurofibrillary changes and plaque associated with AD.
But you say, wouldn’t a conscientious person have a healthy lifestyle that might contribute to the negative findings. Yes, they might, but when lifestyle was controlled for, conscientiousness alone was still a protective factor.

Conscientiousness is associated with a higher level of resilience and greater reliance on task-oriented coping.

“These factors might decrease the adverse effect of negative life events and chronic psychological distress associated with a risk of dementia in older age.” (Wilson, 2007)

So one might wonder, can one develop conscientiousness, or a higher level of conscientiousness, and thus build in protection against a catastrophic neurological disease? Let’s work on becoming ‘goal-directed’. Time will tell.

Sources

Wilson RS et al "Conscientiousness and the Incidence of Alzheimer Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment" Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007; 64: 1204-1212.
http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/64/10/1204

National Institute of Aging, Senior Health, 2007
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/