Going to parties may now sound like a good idea

Jan 20, 2009 09:43 GMT  ·  By
Seniors risking the development of dementia may benefit from more socializing
   Seniors risking the development of dementia may benefit from more socializing

According to a new medical study, seniors that are self-satisfied and are not easily stressed are 50 percent less likely to develop dementia than those who have a negative vision on life and take everything to heart. The researchers also showed that each person's social network played a crucial role in this statistic, as people who were more inclined to go to parties and other social events fitted within the low-risk category. Those who stayed at home, and limited their inter-personal contacts over the 6 years of the study were far more likely to develop the dreaded disease.

In the new study, 506 people were followed for more than 6 years, with questionnaires regularly handed down to them. The surveys dealt with their social activities, and asked the participants to honestly rate their own social behavior. Extrovert people proved to be more socially active and overall optimistic, a fact that researchers say helped their brains release vital chemicals that prevented its deterioration.

From the 144 individuals who developed the condition, the research team has concluded that risks are much higher in the case of those who do not regularly participate in organizational activities, or who do not spend leisure time in the company of others, strengthening their social network. People who were outgoing and calm scored much lower on the risk assessment table.

“In the past, studies have shown that chronic distress can affect parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus, possibly leading to dementia, but our findings suggest that having a calm and outgoing personality in combination with a socially active lifestyle may decrease the risk of developing dementia even further,” the lead author of the new study, Hui-Xin Wang, PhD, who is a researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, argues.

“The good news is, lifestyle factors can be modified, as opposed to genetic factors which cannot be controlled. But these are early results, so how exactly mental attitude influences risk for dementia is not clear,” he adds. The results are detailed in the January 20 issue of the Neurology, edited by the American Academy of Neurology.