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Feeling like you have no purpose could one day lead to dementia, new study shows
A new piece of research has drawn a troubling link between feelings of a lack of purpose and an increased chance of developing mild cognitive impairment, a frequent precursor of dementia.
Considering the fact that 33% of old people live with some form of dementia, it’s no surprise that the debilitating health condition has touched most of us. Though new research is frequently being released, including the recent belief that bacon and deli meats could increase dementia risk, it’s believed that it will affect 139 million by 2050.
Personal growth could play into dementia risk
Scientists and doctors have worked tirelessly for decades to provide us with information and advice for dealing with dementia and by extension, Alzheimer’s.
A number of things have been linked to an increased dementia risk including ongoing anxiety and habits surrounding your consumption of coffee. Now a study in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry has added to the ever-expanding list.
Though past explorations had looked into the development of mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and psychological well-being, researchers said most failed to consider other factors. Such factors included self-acceptance, autonomy, feeling capable of managing ones immediate environment, having meaningful connections with others, and personal growth.
Using data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, which began in 1997, scientists discovered that those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) experienced a faster decline in psychological well-being than their cognitively intact counterparts. In particular, these people had lower levels of purpose in life and personal growth.
The study was only observational
Though the study did draw interesting connections that the scientific community hopes to explore more, as an observational study, no firm conclusions could be drawn. For instance, the data set was predominantly White and female.
Our findings indicate that personal growth and purpose in life may be more cognitively demanding than other components of wellbeing, and therefore may serve as more sensitive indicators of cognitive aging, the study’s authors wrote.
They added: Moreover, we found that positive relations with others declined rapidly after MCI diagnosis. People with impaired cognitive function may be less likely to engage in social and leisure activities than they were previously, which can cause further deterioration in their relationships with friends or others.”
