Are You Laid-Back and Friendly? You May Have a Lower Dementia Risk

Want to stave off dementia and Alzheimer's disease when you get older? Researchers have a surprising suggestion for you: Go to a party

Researchers gave 506 volunteers questionnaires about their personality and lifestyle and tracked them over the course of six years. Socially active people who don't get stressed easily had a 50 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who have less social contact and have a tendency to fret, according to a study published in Neurology. One in seven Americans aged 71 and older have memory loss, problems with orientation and other symptoms that signal Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

"Our findings suggest that having a calm and outgoing personality in combination with a socially active lifestyle may decrease the risk of developing dementia," said lead study author Hui-Xin Wang.

How sociable are you? Would you consider yourself laid-back? Would you attend more social events if you knew it could ward off dementia?