Dementia and disorders like depression and anxiety (conditions associated with persistent negative emotional thoughts) have long been intertwined.
Indeed, distinct screening tools have been developed to differentiate between depression and dementia (because “being cognitively incapable of answering questions” and “being insufficiently motivated to answer” look the same on a test).
It makes sense, in a way. Whether it’s the knowledge or the symptoms of a dementia diagnosis, ‘prolonged low mood’ is inevitable.
However, a recent study suggests that constant, repetitive patterns of negative thinking, a ‘fatalistic attitude’, could lead to earlier onset or amplified symptoms of dementia. In short, constant negative thinking could cause or amplify dementia.
How could a negative mindset lead to actual physical harm to the brain? With the caveat that it’s by no means confirmed that it does (and even if it were, there are many complex factors at work), one possible mechanism is via the stress response.
A typically functioning human brain produces an optimism bias in our thinking. We tend to assume we’re right about stuff, that fairness is paramount and that things will go our way.
This keeps us confident and motivated, and prevents us from worrying about anything and everything. It’s a psychological defence mechanism, of a sort.
But when we lose this optimism, as often happens in depression, we experience far more stress and negativity. And the chemical element of stress is known to cause biological stress to the brain, often resulting in the more familiar mental disorders.
If your brain was already physically compromised by whatever factors cause dementia, then it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that constant negative thinking could speed up the whole process.
It’s usually trite to say, “Try not to think about it”, but here it may well be medically sound advice.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Jeanette Sullivan, via email) 'Does negative thinking increase your risk of dementia?'
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