Worry: Something to Worry About

Here’s another reason not to worry: If you worry, there is a greater likelihood that dementia will take a toll later in life. At least that’s what’s suggested by a study of long-term study involving 3,500 Minnesotans. The study, lead by a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, examined people who had taken a personality test in 1962. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, participants, who were 20 to 69 years old at the time of the test, were assessed for dementia or cognitive impairment in 2004. Lead psychiatrist Yonas Geda told the Times that those who rated in the top 25% of pessimists had a 30% increased risk for dementia, and a high anxiety score boosted the chance of dementia by an additional 10%. Yonas speculates that pessimism makes people more susceptible to depression and other distressing emotions, which generate potentially toxic chemicals in the brain. Worried now?