Cultures that Respect the Elderly Have Reduced Risks of Dementia

February 7, 2018

(Quartz) – The key to a long life of mental acuity depends, in part, on how secure a person feels about getting older in the first place. New research published today (Feb. 7) in the Public Library of Science supports the idea that cultural constructs around how people perceive age contribute to the development of dementia. People who associate old age with uselessness or senility are more likely to develop dementia than people who associate it with positive attributes, such as wisdom and respect.