Negative Thinking Linked to Brain Plaque Build-up

Researchers surveyed 350 people over the age of 55 over a two-year period, asking them to respond to questions indicating how they reacted to negative experiences.

The questions focused on negative thinking behaviors such as rumination about the past and worry about the future.

In addition, about a third of the participants also agreed to undergo PET (positron emission tomography) brain scans to measure deposits of tau and beta amyloid in their brain. These two proteins can accumulate in the brain and cause Alzheimer’s disease.

The results of the study proved intriguing.

The scans showed that those participants who dwelled longer in the negative had more tau and amyloid buildup. Importantly, these same people displayed worse memory and greater cognitive decline over a four-year period compared to their more optimistic peers.

Dr. Helen Kales, chair of the psychiatry department at the University of California, Davis, said the results of the study aren’t surprising.

She explained that prior research suggested a strong link between depression and dementia. However, what wasn’t clear, she said, was whether depression is a cause, early symptom or consequence of dementia.

Perhaps it’s a mix of the three?

“What this study importantly suggests is that the underlying risk associated with depression or anxiety may be the repetitive negative thinking associated with both,” Dr. Kales said.

On the flip side, Kales and other longevity researchers posit that those who age well without cognitive woes seem better equipped to think positively.

Overall Positivity Breeds Good Health

Studies show that on the whole, positive people tend to have better health habits, which lead to a stronger immune system and lung function.5

But I’m not advocating that you adopt a Pollyanna façade all day everyday.

When the bad times come—as they do for everyone— and it’s difficult for you to put on a happy face, research reveals that’s just fine.

“We do not think the evidence suggests that short-term setbacks would increase one’s risk of dementia,” Dr. Marchant said.

However, an overall positive mindset does have many benefits so it’s worth cultivating. Experts like Dr. Kales recommend mindfulness exercises as a good way to start fostering more positivity in your life.