A large European study of over 10,000 older adults found that those reporting higher loneliness had poorer initial memory performance but experienced memory decline at the same rate as less lonely peers. The research, based on seven years of data, challenges notions that loneliness accelerates cognitive deterioration. Researchers recommend screening for loneliness in cognitive health assessments.
Researchers analyzed data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), tracking 10,217 adults aged 65 to 94 across 12 countries from 2012 to 2019. Participants with high loneliness scored lower on immediate and delayed recall tests at the study's start. High loneliness was most common in Southern Europe at 12 percent, with those affected often older, female, and reporting poorer health, higher depression, blood pressure, and diabetes rates. Loneliness was assessed via three questions on feelings of lacking companionship, being left out, or isolated; 92 percent reported low or average levels initially. People with dementia history or impaired daily activities were excluded, and factors like physical activity and depression were controlled for memory analysis, which involved recalling words from a 10-word list read aloud. Despite starting with weaker memory, the high-loneliness group showed no faster decline than others, with all groups experiencing a sharper drop between years three and seven. Lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of Universidad del Rosario called the result surprising: 'Loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time... It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline.' The findings appear in Aging & Mental Health and highlight loneliness's link to baseline brain function without clear evidence of hastening dementia risk.
