European Study: Loneliness Linked to Initial Memory Issues in Older Adults

A new study of more than 10,000 older adults across Europe has found that loneliness is associated with poorer memory performance at the outset of aging, but it does not appear to hasten the rate of memory decline over time. The research, published this month in the journal Aging and Mental Health, drew on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, a long-term project tracking health and aging in people aged 50 and older. Researchers analyzed responses from 10,217 participants aged 65 to 94 in 12 countries, including Germany, Spain and Sweden, from 2012 to 2019.

At the study's start, participants completed questionnaires assessing feelings of isolation, such as lacking companionship or feeling left out. They were categorized into low, average or high loneliness groups, with about 8 percent reporting high levels. Memory was evaluated through simple word-recall tasks: participants heard a list of 10 words and were asked to repeat as many as possible immediately and after a five-minute delay. Those with high loneliness recalled fewer words on average, scoring 4.9 on immediate recall compared to 5.4 for others, and 3.5 on delayed recall versus 4.1.