Neuroticism, a personality trait characterized by emotional instability and a heightened stress response, is associated with negative health outcomes, including dementia. A new study found that social contact reduces dementia risk in individuals with high neuroticism.

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032724007894

From the linked article:

Active social contact can reduce the increased risk of dementia associated with high neuroticism, according to a new study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Neuroticism, a personality trait characterized by emotional instability and a heightened stress response, is associated with negative health outcomes, including dementia. Previous studies have shown that individuals with high neuroticism face an elevated risk of developing dementia. As the global population ages, with dementia prevalence expected to triple by 2050, identifying factors that can mitigate this risk has become increasingly important.

Over the study’s follow-up period, which had a median duration of 13.7 years, 6,588 cases of dementia were identified among the participants. Individuals with high neuroticism had a significantly higher risk of developing dementia compared to those with low neuroticism. Specifically, participants with high neuroticism had a 16% increased risk of all-cause dementia and similar elevated risks for Alzheimer’s disease (10%) and vascular dementia (16%).

Social contact played a protective role in mitigating dementia risk, particularly for individuals with high neuroticism. Participants with intermediate levels of social contact had a 15% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those with low social contact, and those with high levels of social contact experienced a 22% reduction in risk. Notably, among individuals with high neuroticism, those with high social contact had dementia risk levels comparable to individuals with low neuroticism.