Cynicism Linked to Dementia, Study Finds

Over the years， the definition of cynicism has shifted dramatically—from an ascetic school of philosophy in ancient Greece (spelled with a capital “C”) to， today， a distrust of others for being selfishly motivated. What hasn’t changed so much about cynicism is its association with mental decline.

For example， the best-known Cynic of the Classical Greece era， one Diogenes of Sinope， slept in an empty wine barrel， masturbated in public and urinated on critics. (Diogenes syndrome now refers to “an older adult living in squalor，” according to the British Medical Journal.) And then there’s philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche， who at 44 had a nervous breakdown that eventually led to his dementia and death. While deeply influenced by the Cynics， much of Nietzsche’s writing is arguably closer to today’s concept of cynicism—distrust in social systems and， by extension， the people who partake in them.

Researchers now think there might be a direct link between this attitude and mental decline， beyond these historical examples: People with high levels of “cynical distrust，” which they define as “the belief that others are mainly motivated by selfish concerns，” are more likely to develop dementia， according to a study published Wednesday in the online issue of Neurology.

Over the course of eight years， researchers examined 1，449 people， whose average age was 71， to determine whether they had dementia. They also gave study participants a questionnaire “to measure their level of cynicism，” according to the study’s authors. (Per the questionnaire， participants were asked to say how much they agreed with statements such as “I think most people would lie to get ahead.”)

They found that “people with high levels of cynical distrust were three times more likely to develop dementia than people with low levels of cynicism，” even when adjusted for other dementia risk factors， such as smoking， according to a statement on the study.