Today’s Solutions: November 02, 2024

A new longitudinal study investigating whether a person’s level of happiness affects their cognitive health as they age strongly suggests that the happier you are, the less likely you are of developing neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.

While there have been previous studies that link positive psychology with improved cognitive functions, these studies were limited because they only tracked the participants for a short time, and therefore didn’t allow researchers to explore the association between psychological well-being and cognitive change on a deeper level.

The data was extracted from a subset of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, which included the responses of almost 9,500 participants aged 60 and up without any cognitive impairments at the beginning of the study (2002). The participants were then interviewed five times between 2002 and 2014.

The interviewers observed that around 2,640 participants experienced an onset of cognitive impairment at one of the follow-up interviews, and the numbers slightly increased over time. During the 2002 to 2005 interval, only 11 percent of the participants showed signs of cognitive impairment, which went up to 13.3 percent during the 2011 to 2014 interval.

The participants answered questions about their optimism, conscientiousness, loneliness, self-esteem, and other factors, as well as providing information on the kind of social support they received, their health status, and visits from family and friends. Positive responses to these social factors were associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline.

According to Lydia Li, a professor of social work at the University of Michigan and the study’s co-author, for an aging society such as ours, gaining a further understanding of cognitive impairment should be a crucial topic in public health.

“The findings have implications for policy and practice regarding supporting older people to preserve cognitive function in older age, given that psychological well-being is modifiable,” she explains.

Improving psychological well-being in the elderly will not only enhance their overall quality of life but will likely lessen their health expenses associated with cognitive impairment.

If you’d like to support the health and happiness of an elderly loved one in your life, consider helping them become an Emissary at TheOptimistDaily.com for their daily dose of uplifting optimism.

Source study: Journal of Aging and HealthPsychological well-being and cognitive function among older adults in China

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

This heartwarming Danish ad breaks down the ‘Us vs Them’ narrative

It’s rare that we publish a story about an advertisement, but then again it’s rare that an ad stirs so much emotion within its ...

Read More

NOAHs: Charlotte has a formula for long-lasting affordable housing

We recently shared how empty retail space could be the solution to California’s affordable housing crisis. Across the country in North Carolina, the city ...

Read More

A seat at the table for underrepresented communities

Climate change is already affecting all of us—however, those that bear the brunt of these consequences are predominantly from low-income, marginalized, BIPOC communities. So ...

Read More

Expanding democracy: Michigan opens new doors for formerly incarcerated voters

Malijah Gee's path from incarceration at the age of 17 to imminent freedom reflects the longing for a voice that has been suppressed for 36 years. ...

Read More