Loneliness may impact the baseline memory of older adults without accelerating the speed of cognitive decline, according to a large-scale European study.
Researchers tracking more than 10,000 participants across 12 European countries for seven years found that those reporting high levels of loneliness scored lower on memory tests at the start of the study.
However, the rate of memory deterioration over the seven-year period remained roughly the same for lonely individuals and those with higher levels of social connection.
The study, published in the journal Aging & Mental Health, utilized data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).
Impact on baseline performance
Lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria, from the Universidad del Rosario, noted that the results were unexpected.
"The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome," Venegas-Sanabria said.
He added that the data suggests loneliness plays a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline.
The research team included experts from the Universidad del Rosario in Colombia, the Clínica Universitaria de Navarra and Universitat de Valencia in Spain, and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
Participants in the study were aged between 65 and 94. The researchers excluded individuals with a history of dementia or those with physical disabilities that impaired daily activities like walking or eating.
Memory was measured through tasks requiring participants to recall lists of words both immediately and after a delay.
Loneliness was measured through participant responses regarding feelings of isolation, lack of companionship, and being left out.
The researchers suggest that routine loneliness screenings could become a standard part of cognitive health assessments for the elderly.
While previous studies have offered conflicting evidence on whether loneliness increases the risk of dementia, this study suggests that isolation may not directly accelerate the disease process.
Data showed the highest levels of loneliness were reported in Southern European countries, at 12%, compared to 6% in Central Europe.
