Madhurima
A recently published study has just revealed that an individual will be less prone to dementia if they have a partner optimistic in nature.
A team of researchers belonging to the Michigan State University and Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health conducted the research. It was discovered that an optimistic life partner creates a positive impact on cognitive health which helps to keep sharp for a longer period. Not just dementia, but the risk of any neurogenerative illness is decreased.
An optimistic partner can also help in good lifestyle changes like eating healthier, increase in productivity level and social interaction, which will eventually help in developing positive mental health.
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The research involved collecting the data from over 4000 heterosexual couples of over 8 years in order to discover whether an optimistic partner actually affects a person’s cognitive wellbeing. The study unveiled that couples with one or both of the partners being optimistic had better memory and an upbeat perspective towards life.
Assistant professor of psychology, William Chopik also acted as the co-author of the study. He stated, “We spend a lot of time with our partners. They might encourage us to exercise, eat healthier or remind us to take our medicine…You actually do experience a rosier future by living longer and staving off cognitive illnesses. We found that when you look at the risk factors for what predicts things like Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, a lot of them are things like living a healthy lifestyle. Maintaining a healthy weight and physical activity are large predictors. There are some physiological markers as well. It looks like people who are married to optimists tend to score better on all of those metrics.” He is from Michigan State University.
The following research was made part of the Journal of Behavioural Development.
