Dispositional Pessimism Associated with Lower Memory Scores in Older Adults

by | Aug 2, 2022 | 2022, Brain Health, Cognitive Health

Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. Dispositional optimism observed in 26-year old subjects correlated with higher scores on matrix reasoning, while higher dispositional pessimism correlated with lower scores on matrix reasoning, vocabulary, and motor skills. 46-year old subjects with higher dispositional optimism correlated with higher memory scores. 

skin health - womenOptimism is an important concept in positive psychology and refers to an individual’s ability to expect positive results rather than negative results in life in a continuous manner 1. On the other hand, pessimistic individuals interpret ambiguous information in a more consistently negative way 2. The personality trait dispositional optimism has been widely associated with markers of physical health and subjective well-being and influences individuals’ subsequent cognitive processes 3. Chronic pessimism has been linked to higher levels of inflammation, higher cortisol responses, and lower life satisfaction 4.

Studies on brain structure suggest that personal and social optimism bias permanently effect neuronal signatures linked with higher cognition 5. Past behavioral findings show that optimistic expectancies causally influence attention deployment 6. Additionally, research has linked positive emotions to increased cognitive ability, or the ability to switch rapidly between multiple goals 7.

Karhu et al. conducted an observational study to assess whether dispositional optimism and pessimism are associated with core cognitive abilities using data from the prospective Northern Finland Birth Cohort Studies (NFBC). Data was observed from the NFBC1986 (n=383, mean age of 26 years old at time of observation) which featured children born in 1985-1986 and an older cohort study, the NFBC1966 (n=5042, mean age of 46 years old at time of observation), which began in 1965-1966. Measurements of dispositional optimism and pessimism were obtained through participation with Scheier and Carver’s Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), which assesses personal differences in future expectancies with six items, three for optimism and three for pessimism. Cognitive abilities for the 26-year old study group was assessed through seven cognitive tests which measures reasoning, verbal skills, verbal fluency, fine motor-skills, selective attention, impulse control, and memory. The 46-year old participants completed one cognitive test focused on memory.

Statistical analysis included covariates such as gender, education level, mother’s education level, and depression. Multiple linear regression was used to observe associations of dispositional optimism and pessimism with cognitive abilities. Results of the 26-year old group show that higher dispositional optimism correlated with higher educational level and higher scores on matrix reasoning along with lower dispositional pessimism and lower depression. Higher dispositional pessimism correlated with lower educational level and lower scores on matrix reasoning, vocabulary, and motor skills. In the 46-year old subjects, higher dispositional optimism, again, correlated with lower dispositional pessimism, higher education level, higher mother’s education level and higher memory score. Higher dispositional pessimism correlated with lower education level, lower mother’s education level, and lower memory scores. In the 26-year old group, higher pessimism was strongly associated with lower matrix reasoning in all models (B= -0.209; p= 0.001).

Findings of the study suggest that higher dispositional optimism and lower dispositional pessimism are associated with higher cognitive functioning. Data results provide evidence for the hypothesis in memory and reasoning skills, although the results related to memory were only noted in the 46-year old group, suggesting that it may be age-dependent. Furthermore, findings show stronger associations between pessimism and cognitive abilities compared to results from optimism and cognitive abilities. Study limitations include the inability to suggest causal interpretations due to the observational design of the study.

Source: Karhu, Jutta, Mirka Hintsanen, Ellen Ek, Jari Koskela, and Juha Veijola. “Dispositional optimism and pessimism in association with cognitive abilities in early and middle adulthood.” Personality and Individual Differences 196 (2022): 111710.

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Click here to read the full text study.

Posted August 2, 2022.

Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.

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