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Lower brain volume tied to social isolation: A new study
15.10.2023 22:30
Updated: 13.05.2024 21:22
A new study looked at older people and how their brains might change with social contact.
The researchers found that older folks who didn't talk to friends and family much had smaller brains in certain areas, including ones linked to memory problems like dementia.
Let's find out more about the test results.
A huge study on older people's loneliness
The study involved almost 9,000 people who were around 72 years old and didn't have dementia.
They had brain scans and answered questions about how often they talked to people who didn't live with them.
The folks who didn't talk to others much had smaller brains, about 67.3% of the total space in their heads, while the more social people had 67.8%.
The study also found that those who didn't chat much had more tiny brain problems, called white matter lesions, compared to the more social people.
It's worth noting that feeling down or lonely might explain some of these brain changes, but not all of it, only about 15% to 29%.
Why it's important
While this study doesn't prove that not talking to people makes your brain shrink, other research has shown that older people who join social groups actually saw improvements in their brains and memory.
So, staying connected with others might help keep your brain healthy as you get older.
However, it's important to remember that this study was done with older Japanese people, so the results might not be the same for younger folks or people from different backgrounds.
