New Study Links Grumpiness to Memory Loss

Do you know anyone who is grumpy? Everything is a chore to them. They couldn’t crack a smile even if they won the lottery. Their life is a total and utter misery. Often older people are accused of being grumpy. There was a television show in Australia called ‘Grumpy Old Men’ and the follow-up was ‘Grumpy Old Women’. I’m sorry to tell you this, but a new study has found there is a link between ageing, memory loss and grumpiness.

Goldsmiths, University of London, is behind this new research. A team of psychologists looked closely at 60 people aged between 17 to 95. It found that many older men and women struggled to understand or read emotions in other people. Not being able to understand other people’s emotions resulted in irritation. These irritated or ‘grumpy’ older people were also poor at memory tests. The researchers concluded that a decline in empathy (or being able to read others) is caused by the same loss of brain function that results in memory problems in old age.

Not all old people become grumpy!

But do not despair; it is not inevitable that you will become a grumpy old person. Failing to understand other people’s emotions or feelings leads some older people to become isolated. However older people with good memories did not lose their ability to understand other people’s emotions. Consequently they continued to have enjoyable social lives and meaningful relationships.

One of the authors of the study, Dr Rebecca Charlton, a senior psychology lecturer, said the stereotype of a grumpy old man or woman may be the result of some older people not being able to understand other’s feelings and respond with the appropriate emotion. However she said the study was ultimately good news because if people with memory loss understood their condition and were given more support, they might be less irritable and more social.

“Some older people are able to retain this ability for longer or compensate using other skills, giving us all hope that, with the right kind of support, our social interactions can continue to be rewarding throughout our lives,” Dr Charlton said.

In the study, participants were shown videos and asked to identify the emotions of actors. The older people were, the worse at this. However older people with strong memories tended to be much more successful at reading emotions than people with poor memories.

Some activities slow memory loss

The results suggest that activities which help slow brain decline, like learning a new language or regular exercise, could also slow down a loss of empathy or failing social skills. I recently wrote a blog, ‘Invest in your brain NOW to prevent dementia in old age’. At the time I reported on research that recommends if you want to prevent dementia in old age you need to start exercising your brain when you are middle-aged or even younger. The study, ’A Rapidly Ageing Australia: Cognitive Ageing and Decline in Trends’ says to ward off memory loss in old age, people must keep expanding their brains by learning new skills and challenging themselves. I wrote that this report puts forward the exact advice that I’ve always advocated as part of my ‘prosperity mindset’ philosophy. If you want to be prosperous in body, spirit and mind you need to keep on learning over the course of your life.

The study on a link between memory loss and grumpiness recommends that you make challenging yourself a lifelong mission if you want to prevent memory loss and grumpiness. Basically you need to do something hard or difficult every day to keep your memory working into old age. You may say that you do crosswords every day, but if this is too easy for you then it’s no good. You have to do something that gives your brain a real work-out. If the crossword is easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy then it’s time you learnt Arabic or maybe Mandarin!

A third of older people suffer brain decline

More than a third of people aged between 70 and 90 will develop mild brain decline –impaired memory and decision making and problem solving. About 30 per cent of these will then develop full-blown dementia within 10 years. The research shows the incidence of dementia doubles every five years between the ages of 70 and 84.

Ongoing self-education has always been a key part of my prosperity mindset. Now the research is out that proves this is good for your body, soul and ultimately your mind. Can you play a musical instrument? No? Then it’s time you got started. It doesn’t cost much to buy a second-hand keyboard, flute or trumpet online. There are also free lessons on the internet. What is holding you back? Make the most of every second of your life. Life is a gift. It is wrong to waste it.

Serve others and keep learning

One of my all-time favourite movies is ‘Groundhog Day’. It’s a comedy and you could easily dismiss it as the silly story of a badly behaved man who gets stuck in the same horrible day that keeps repeating – there is no tomorrow. Time does not start moving again until he learns to make the best of his time. He learns an instrument, he learns to speak poetry in French, and he does acts of kindness for other people. The movie has a profound message – serve your fellow man and make self-education a life-long quest.

Other lifestyle factors that slow-down ageing are eating well and exercising. Aerobic, weightlifting and resistance exercises are great for the minds and bodies of middle-aged and older people. If you don’t want to become a ‘grumpy’ old man or woman, you need to invest in yourself TODAY!