Cynical over-65s are more likely to become demented
You know them, those sour pensioners, who just whine and complain. No one is any good and Thai is no good at all, while they live in the land of milk and honey (at least according to some). This attitude can cost you your life because there is a greater chance of getting dementia the worse you think about people. This is the conclusion reached by Finnish neurologists who followed nearly seven hundred over-65s for eight years.
The researchers measured their participants' cynical distrust using the Cynical Distrust Scale, part of the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale.
The Cynical Distrust Scale consists of 8 statements, with which you can “disagree” [0 points], “somewhat disagree” [1 point], “somewhat agree” [2 points] or “strongly agree” [3 points] .
How cynical are you?
The minimum score you can achieve on the Cynical Distrust Scale is therefore 0, the maximum is 24. If you want to determine for yourself how cynical you are: the statements are listed below.
- I think most people would lie to get ahead.
- Most people are honest chiefly through fear of being caught.
- Most people will use somewhat unfair reasons to gain profit or an advantage rather than lose it.
- I commonly wonder what hidden reasons another person may have for doing something nice to me.
- No one cares much what happens to you.
- It's safer to trust nobody.
- Most people make friends because friends are likely to be useful to them.
- Most people inwardly dislike putting themselves out to help other people.
Scores of your 0-9 points classify researchers as low cynical distrust. Scores of 15-24 fall under high cynical distrust.
Results
The researchers measured the degree of cynical distrust in their study participants in the late 2005s and followed them up to 2008-XNUMX. The figure on the left shows that the study participants became more likely to develop dementia as they scored higher on the Cynical Distrust Scale. Cynicism hardly affected the mortality rate.
Conclusion
“Confirming the association between cynical distrust and incident dementia necessitates replication studies in larger populations with longer follow-up times,” the researchers write.
Source: Neurology. 2014 Jun 17;82(24):2205-12. – Ergogenics.nl
Well, it's clear that this is "another investigation". Oops… maybe a bit too cynical? Then I will become demented. Fortunately, this is only the case if you are older than 65, I read, and so it does not apply to me. Was that also cynical? There's no hope for me anymore I'm afraid. It will therefore happen immediately on the day I turn 65.
Doubtful. If that were true, dementia should be widespread among older politicians. Well, as far as Thatcher is concerned, it is correct, I admit.
Perhaps early dementia is a cause of Cynical distrust.
If you start to suffer from dementia, you will become more insecure and therefore more suspicious.
In addition, people generally have a tendency to place the blame for what goes wrong with someone else.
It will also happen more often in early dementia.
Invented example: Someone stole my wallet.
It may then turn out to be in a different coat afterwards.
I don't believe this research. Those Finns certainly had nothing better to do.
The conclusion 'repeated studies with larger populations are needed' already shows that the only goal is to secure their jobs and get more research funding.
Such an investigation naturally makes you cynical.
And it doesn't apply to me anyway because I'm always sarcastic about cynics.
It's a pity, by the way, that morbidity isn't increasing, otherwise we would have gotten rid of those sour-bitches a bit sooner.
Be careful Frans, if you keep giving cynical reactions like this, the readers will think you are already demented…. 😉
Well, come on: a cynical remark from an otherwise far from 'soured' 65+er:
the conclusion of the study is that more extensive research needs to be done to confirm the connection – so the researchers themselves are not yet convinced.
There are many forms of dementia, and there are also conditions in which certain symptoms of dementia occur. The most well-known form is Alzheimer's disease. Dementia can also develop after cerebral infarctions (vascular dementia). Other forms include frontotemporal dementia (formerly known as Pick's disease) and dementia with Lewy bodies. Examples of other conditions in which dementia can occur are Parkinson's, Huntington's disease, AIDS and OPS.
Dementia is often associated with old age, but it is not an inevitable consequence of old age. Most people over the age of 65 function well mentally. Only certain cognitive capacities are less good than in the 'young years', which is a very natural process. In five percent of cases, dementia is a reversible process. In those cases, for example, severe depression or drug poisoning is the cause. Temporary dementia can also occur after brain surgery.
If you want to investigate whether 'cynical over-65s' develop dementia more often, then you should not compare apples with oranges. Then you will have to compare groups of dementia with the same cause and compare the number of “cynical” patients per group.
The Cynical Distrust Scale, when I consider the list of eight questions, is not really an objective measure either. Recently, a referendum on Britain's exit from the EU took place in Great Britain. All three protagonists have now thrown in the towel. Politicians cannot be trusted. They're just seagulls. They come flying in, shit the place and fly away again. Will I become more likely to become demented now?
The cynics in Thailand really do not go broke. Rather the one with an overly positive view of humanity. They are much easier to pluck. Incidentally, cynicism is something very different from the negative basic attitude that usually underlies the so-called soured expat behaviour. Machiavelli can be called cynical. Indeed, his writings touch on all the criteria listed above. Read “the ruler” Or Diogenes in his barrel. Or Willem Frederik Hermans. But that is something completely different from the grumbling about the grumbling of the soured expat who can't change his attitude.
His attitude stems from disappointment and a constant sense of being shortchanged.
By the way: Amsterdammers are known as the biggest grumblers in our language area! Catholic Belgians are happier! Perhaps something for statisticians to investigate the consequences?
Cynicism is frozen sadness…..
There should be an investigation into why people become cynical, that seems more important to me. I don't think anyone likes to be cynical, but the influences these people have apparently experienced over the years are such that they have become cynical. The balance in life is essential. Also keep seeing the positive and the good, because that is definitely there. Realism and wisdom also lead to a certain cynicism and visualisation, or even further, such as suspicion. As a right-minded Amsterdammer, I dare to say that this population group often has its heart on its sleeve and does not allow anything to be left out that is not acceptable in his or her view. That is not always appreciated, but it is taken for information. I always quote the saying that I used to read at the doctor's office in the waiting room and which reads: "speak freely, but not about your defects", because talking about ailments apparently nobody wants that.