Boost Cognitive Skills to Broaden Personality

Aging is not only typically associated with declines in memory, reasoning and other aspects of cognition, but changes in personality as well.  Joshua Jackson, from Washington University (Missouri, USA), and colleagues asked a group of community-dwelling adults, average age 72.9 years, to complete a 16-week long cognitive training program that included Sudoku and crossword puzzles, aimed at promoting inductive reasoning. The team observed that the participants experienced an increase in the trait of openness to new and challenging experiences. The study authors conclude that: “The study is one of the first to demonstrate that personality traits can change through nonpsychopharmocological interventions.”