Prosociality and Subsequent Cognitive Health: A Prospective Cohort Study
2024
Prosociality and Cognitive Health in Older Adults
Sample size: 7844
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Farmer Justin, Macchia Lucía, Gong Jessica, Steptoe Andrew, Bu Feifei, Kubzansky Laura
Primary Institution: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Hypothesis
Higher prosociality is associated with higher maintenance of cognitive health in adults 50 years or older.
Conclusion
Higher prosociality is linked to better cognitive health maintenance in older adults.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants with high prosociality had 24% slower decline in verbal memory.
- Participants with high prosociality had 55% slower decline in executive function.
- High prosociality was associated with a 35% reduced hazard of dementia.
Takeaway
Being kind and helping others can help older people keep their brains healthy.
Methodology
Linear mixed-effects models and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the data.
Participant Demographics
Adults aged 50 years or older from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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