Older adults who feel lonely score significantly worse on memory tests than those who do not feel lonely, but their memory does not deteriorate any faster. That’s what a recent study of more than 10,000 Europeans followed over six years shows, and what scientists and physicians need to understand about the scope of public health risks social isolation poses.
According to the results of their study published in the journal Aging and Mental Health, the team of Professor Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the Universidad del Rosario School of Medicine and Health Sciences based their work on information provided by the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).
Over six years, 10,217 adults aged 65 to 94 from 12 European countries were assessed for levels of loneliness and performance on immediate and delayed recall memory tests. The results were consistent: higher loneliness was correlated with lower early memory scores. However, the rate of decline was virtually identical to that of participants who did not report loneliness.
“This suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the early stages of memory than progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said.
Age remains the most important predictor of memory performance. The decline became more pronounced after age 75 and increased dramatically after 85. Other medical conditions such as depression and diabetes reduced the base score regardless of loneliness level.
Physical activity, on the other hand, had the opposite effect. Individuals who performed moderate or vigorous physical activities at least once a month showed better recall performance on immediate and delayed tasks. Researchers described this effect as a cognitive buffer; This increased the baseline without changing how quickly memory declined over time.
This finding has practical implications. If loneliness merely hinders normal cognitive ability without giving rise to neurodegenerative disorders, it would be better to begin treatment through socialization at an early age when people are still under seventy, enabling them to maintain high baseline levels for more extended periods.
It has been suggested that previous studies have found a number of ways in which loneliness can negatively impact cognitive functioning. These include less social interaction, higher incidence of depression, and higher blood pressure and other medical conditions that can lead to cognitive impairment.
