Khaberni - A recent scientific study disclosed an unexpected result concerning the impact of feeling lonely on memory in individuals aged 65 years and older, as published in the journal Aging and Mental Health.
The study was based on a longitudinal analysis that included 10,217 participants from 12 countries, as part of the Health and Aging in Europe (SHARE) survey, over a span of 6 years. Initially, the participants had no history of cognitive decline.
At the start of the study, participants classified themselves according to levels of loneliness: high, medium, or low. The results showed that those who suffered from high loneliness registered weaker memory test performances compared to others, but surprisingly, this feeling did not accelerate memory decline over time.
The lead researcher, Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria from the University of Rosario in Colombia, stated that the result was "surprising," explaining that loneliness affects the initial state of memory more than it affects the rate of gradual decline.
The experiment included a simple test, where participants were asked to remember a list of 10 words immediately after hearing them, and then recall them after 5 minutes while being distracted.
The results also indicated that factors such as age, depression, health status, and level of social activity had a greater impact on cognitive performance than loneliness itself.
Jordan Weiss, a specialist at New York University, cautioned against misinterpreting the results, noting that social relationship patterns are formed over decades before reaching old age.
Brian Mullan, a mental health specialist, added that humans are naturally social beings, and addressing loneliness requires simple and low-cost community activities to enhance social communication.
