A recent study from The University of Texas at Austin and University of Massachusetts Boston reveals that engaging in helping behaviors can significantly slow cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults.
This groundbreaking research encompasses over 30,000 adults in the U.S. over a span of two decades, uncovering that the rate of cognitive decline typically associated with aging decreases by 15%-20% for individuals who participate in formal volunteering or assist others informally on a regular basis.
The study finds that individuals who dedicate approximately two to four hours per week to helping others enjoy noteworthy cognitive benefits.
These findings were published in the latest edition of the journal Social Science & Medicine and stem from research funded by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Sae Hwang Han, an assistant professor of human development and family sciences at UT, led the study.
Han noted, “Everyday acts of support — whether organized or personal — can have lasting cognitive impact.”
The research highlights that the cognitive benefits from helping others are not merely temporary boosts but rather accumulate over time with sustained engagement.
These benefits are evident for both formal volunteering and informal helping.
Interestingly, Han pointed out that moderate engagement is consistently tied to robust cognitive benefits.
This study stands out as one of the first to analyze the impacts of both formal volunteer work and informal helping, such as assisting neighbors, relatives, or friends with tasks like going to health appointments, childcare, lawn maintenance, or tax preparation.
While approximately one in three older Americans reportedly participates in scheduled or formal volunteering, more than half manage to help others regularly in a more informal capacity.
Han commented on informal helping, suggesting it is often perceived as having fewer health benefits due to the lack of social recognition.
However, the study found that informal helping provides cognitive benefits comparable to those gained from formal volunteering.
The researchers utilized longitudinal data from the national Health and Retirement Study, examining the results of a representative sample of U.S. residents over the age of 51 dating back to 1998.
The study controlled for various contributing factors such as wealth, physical and mental health, and education, concluding that individuals experience a slowdown in age-related cognitive decline when they begin and maintain helping behaviors.
The data indicates that those who incorporate helping behaviors into their routines see greater gains over time.
Conversely, withdrawing completely from helping others is correlated with worse cognitive function, underscoring the necessity of keeping older adults engaged in some form of helping as long as possible.
Appropriate support and accommodations can facilitate this involvement.
This research advocates for a public health perspective on volunteerism, helping, and fostering neighborhood relations, emphasizing their significance in later life, particularly as diseases linked to cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer’s, become more prevalent.
Additionally, Han’s recent study discovered that volunteering can mitigate the adverse effects of chronic stress on systemic inflammation, a biological pathway associated with cognitive decline and dementia, especially among individuals with higher inflammation levels.
The combined findings of both studies suggest that helping behaviors bolster brain health, potentially by alleviating the physiological effects of stress or enhancing social connections, which provide their own psychological, emotional, and cognitive advantages.
As society grapples with an aging population and growing concerns regarding loneliness and isolation, these findings offer a vital rationale for ongoing involvement of individuals in helping opportunities, even amid cognitive decline.
Han remarked, “Many older adults in suboptimal health often continue to make valuable contributions to those around them, and they also may benefit significantly from being given opportunities to help.”
Shiyang Zhang, a former postdoctoral researcher at UT, and Jeffrey Burr from the University of Massachusetts Boston also contributed to the study.
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