Want to keep your brain sharp in old age? Helping others could be key
Middle-aged and older adults who regularly help people they do not live with experience considerably slower cognitive decline than those who do not help others, according to the study, which was published in the journal Social Science and Medicine.
Researchers analysed data from more than 30,000 adults aged 51 or older in the United States whose brain health was tracked from 1998 to 2020.
Scientists explored how both formal helping, such as volunteering in an organisation, and informal helping, like assisting a neighbour or a friend outside the house, affect cognitive wellbeing and health over time.
The study found that both formal and informal helping were associated with higher levels of cognitive function and a slower cognitive decline later in life, whereas withdrawing from these activities was linked to poorer cognitive ability.
'Informal helping is sometimes assumed to offer fewer health benefits due to its lack of social recognition,' Sae Hwang Han, an assistant professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas and one of the study's authors, said in a statement.
'It was a pleasant surprise to find that it provides cognitive benefits comparable to formal volunteering,' he added.
According to the study, older adults did not need to commit much time to helping others to see the cognitive benefits. Even moderate engagement of two to four hours per week was linked to substantial advantages for brain health.
'The cognitive benefits of helping others weren't just short-term boosts but cumulative over time with sustained engagement,' Han said.
However, the study also has some limitations. It did not provide details on the exact ways that people volunteered, relied on self-reported data, and cannot claim with certainty a cause-and-effect relationship between volunteering and brain health.
Even so, the results are in line with previous findings. Earlier research has suggested a positive link between cognitive performance and volunteering, with some studies even highlighting that the benefits are particularly significant for women.
Notably, however, volunteering opportunities often target young people. In the European Union, official regional programmes like the European Solidarity Corps are open to those aged 18 to 30 to contribute to social projects across the bloc.
No such programme exists for middle-aged and older adults. In 2021, the European Commission recommended that older adults volunteer in its Green Paper on Ageing, but the focus was on intergenerational cooperation and enhanced self-esteem, not cognitive health.
Han said the latest findings suggest older adults should stay active members of their communities as long as possible, for their own sake as much as others'.
'This suggests the importance of keeping older adults engaged in some form of helping for as long as possible, with appropriate supports and accommodations in place,' he said.
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