Are you an orchid or a dandelion?

A study published in the journal ‘Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience’ made the case for determining the personality type of older individuals when prescribing support programmes. Healthy ageing requires an understanding of personality types, says the report, and this can be a determinant in how well supportive programmes work for them. They used psychologies’ orchid/dandelion metaphor to identify the main different types. If you are an ‘orchid adult’ you are more sensitive and biologically reactive and thrive best under ideal circumstances. If you are a ‘dandelion adult’ you are more resilient and can easily adapt to any environment. Policymakers should consider designing programs tailored to these personality types, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Researchers from Simon Fraser Universities Circle Innovation examined the potential effects of different lifestyles on the cognitive health of more than 3000 adults aged 60+. “These discoveries offer new possibilities to support aging adults and provide substantial evidence for new social prescribing programs,” says Circle Innovation CEO and scientific director Sylvain Moreno. ‘Understanding how personality differences affect an aging population can help decision-makers provide older adults with solutions that fit their individual needs.’

The published article doesn’t give examples of psychosocial interventions or any sort of social prescribing, but where it happens in the UK social prescribing is done by the individual’s GP who will have a good idea of what suits the patient. He isn’t likely to prescribe a ballroom dancing class for a retired bricklayer, for example. On the other hand, a GP friend of mine who describes herself as an orchid has intentionally joined a ballroom dancing class as part of her personal development. She’s turned out to be brilliant at it and it’s helped her self-confidence enormously.

The orchid/dandelion concept reminds me of a former musician who went to live in a care home (not one of ours) after he developed dementia. Always a shy man, he hated having to join in with some of the home’s activities. He would prefer to be by himself, but carers would always scoop him up to join in with the others. His wife showed me a photograph taken at one of the home’s garden barbecue parties. He had retreated under a sunshade on the edge of the garden. She had joined him, putting her arms around him and the picture showed him leaning into her. It was heart-breaking for her to have to leave him in the home each day.

If you are an orchid personality a positive way of nurturing yourself is to develop a pattern of giving thanks. It develops gratitude, and some studies show that high levels of gratitude are a positive emotion that is protective to the brain. Keep a journal with entries for each day of things you can be grateful for. They can be quite small things, like timely delivery of something you’ve ordered, or the smile of the postman. They can be big things, too! The joy of seeing someone come to faith, and thankfulness that God is at work in us, (Phillipians 2:13) and always changing our characters to become more like Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

A 'resilient dandelion’ sounds a bit like an extrovert personality. In the same journal is a study shows a that having an extrovert personality can be a protection against dementia (click here for more)