brain shrinkage

While there is no such thing as “the lawyer personality,” many lawyers are tense, moody, irritable and engage in frequent worry at work. Scientific research has now confirmed that personality type affects the tissue volume of key brain structures as we age. It turns out that conscientiousness (a positive quality which can make you a better lawyer and enhance many aspects of your life) preserves brain volume, while neuroticism measurably decreases it as early as middle age. We all know that worrying can’t help you protect the people you care about or solve any problems, but now we know it can shrink your brain as you age. Lawyers who worry all the time need to heed these findings and initiate changes in their attitude before it’s too late.