The comedian George Carlin once said that if you "scratch any cynic... you will find a disappointed idealist."

Now, a group of researchers from University of Eastern Finland suggest individuals with high levels of cynical distrust may be more likely to develop dementia.

Findings published this week in an online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, "add to the evidence that people's view on life and personality may have an impact on their health," Anna-Maija Tolppanen, a professor at the Kuppio-based university and lead study author, said in a news release. "Understanding how a personality trait like cynicism affects risk for dementia might provide us with important insights on how to reduce risks for dementia."

Cynical distrust, defined as the belief that others are mainly motivated by selfish concerns, has long been associated with other a number of problems, such as heart disease, but the new research was the first to examine the relationship between cynicism and dementia.

The study was based on interviews with 1,449 people, with an average age of 71, who were were tested for dementia and given questionnaire to measure their level of cynicism.

Subjects were asked how much they agree with a number of statements, such as, "I think most people would lie to get ahead," and "It is safer to trust nobody" and "Most people will use somewhat unfair reasons to gain profit or an advantage rather than lose it."

Participants were grouped in low, moderate and high levels of cynical distrust, based on who they answered the questionnaire.

A total 622 people completed two dementia tests, with the last one administered an average of eight years after the study started; during that time, 46 people were diagnosed with the brain condition.

However, after researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect dementia risk, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking, the test subjects with high levels of cynical distrust were three times more likely to develop dementia than people weren't so cynical.

Also, of the 164 people identified as having high levels of cynicism, 14 ended up developing dementia, compared to nine of the 212 people with low levels of cynicism.

The work looked as well at whether people with high levels of cynicism were more likely to die sooner than people with low levels of cynicism.

However, after reviewing the cases of 1,146 study subjects, and accounting for factors such as the subjects' socioeconomic status and behaviors such as smoking and other health conditions, the researchers concluded there wasn't an apparent link between cynicism and earlier death.