Study shows that belief you're losing your mind could harm your brain

Do you believe that getting older means you will become more forgetful? 

Well, just the belief itself could be enough to actually cause mental decline.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University in the US found older adults who have positive expectations about aging tend to report better cognitive function and are less worried about declining abilities.

The study, published in the journal Aging & Mental Health, examined 581 adults aged 65-90 years old from the US.

Participants were asked 12 questions to determine their views about physical health, mental health, and cognitive function as they age.

They also measured current cognitive abilities using an eight-item scale that asked about recent thinking and memory performance.

Researchers then compared their current cognitive abilities to how they felt their cognitive function was a decade ago. 

The study excluded anyone with diagnosed cognitive impairment.

The questionnaire revealed that those who expressed more positive opinions about physical and mental health, as well as cognitive function as they aged were more likely to perform better on cognitive test.

'Expectations influence an individual's perceptions of their cognitive functioning,' says the study's first author Nikki Hill, associate professor in the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing at Penn State, in a statement reported by Study Finds.  

Hill added that 'modifying' our expectations of aging — particularly how we think getting older will affect our brains — could result in 'healthier cognitive aging'.

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Researchers say this could involve educational programs that challenge negative aging stereotypes, promote examples of successful aging, and provide accurate information about normal versus concerning cognitive changes.

Around 944,000 in the UK are thought to be living with dementia, while the figure is thought to be around 7million in the US.

Alzheimer's affects around six in 10 people with dementia.

It is thought to be caused by a build-up of proteins called amyloid and tau in the brain, which clump together and from plaques and tangles that make it harder for the brain to work properly.

Memory problems, thinking and reasoning difficulties and language problems are common early symptoms of the condition, which then worsen over time.

Alzheimer's Research UK analysis found 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022 compared with 69,178 a year earlier — a year-on-year increase of six per cent.