Experts think that having a close network of loved ones as we age might protect us from dementia risk.
But a new study has found that while loneliness can impair your memory as you age, that might not translate into full-blown dementia.
Published in Ageing and Mental Health, the research concluded that, “Loneliness is associated with lower initial memory performance in older adults but does not accelerate the decline in memory function over time”.
How does loneliness affect memory?
In this research, scientists looked at data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) programme.
This involved 10,217 individuals over 65. They were asked to self-report their levels of loneliness and were given memory tests over a six-year period.
“Participants with high loneliness at baseline demonstrated significantly lower immediate and delayed recall scores than those with low or average loneline...
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