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Cynics are three times more likely to develop dementia than those who have faith in humanity, a study has shown.

Believing that others are motivated by selfishness, or that they lie to get what they want, appears to radically increase the risk of cognitive decline in later life.

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[np_storybar title=”Running guards against dementia, keeps the brain’s memory centre young: study” link=”http://life.nationalpost.com/2014/03/17/running-guards-against-dementia-keeps-the-brains-memory-centre-young-study/”]

Those attempting to guard against dementia should put down the crossword and go for a jog, U.K. researchers advise.

For years, people have assumed that puzzles kept the brain active. But Clive Ballard, professor of age-related disease at King’s College London, says those who want the best chance of staving off dementia should opt for a run or a brisk walk.

It has long been known that those who do regular exercise are less likely to develop the condition, but it was only last month that a study at the University of Pittsburgh showed that instead of the brain shrinking — as it does normally at a rate of about 1% a year — it grew by about 2% in those who took a brisk 40-minute walk three times a week. Among those aged between 55 and 80, exercise increased the size of the hippocampus — the brain’s memory hub — knocking almost two years off its biological age.