In the latest evidence that meaningful social connections bolster health, researchers have found that regular time spent helping outside the home significantly slows cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults.

The study of more than 30,000 US adults over two decades found that the rate of cognitive decline associated with aging fell by 15%-20% for people who formally volunteered their services or who helped in more informal ways with neighbors, family or friends outside the home on a regular basis. This cognitive benefit was consistently observed when individuals devoted about two to four hours per week to helping others.

“Everyday acts of support — whether organized or personal — can have lasting cognitive impact,” said lead author Sae Hwang Han of the University of Texas. “What stood out to me was that the cognitive benefits of helping others weren’t just short-term boosts but cumulative over time with sustained engagement, and these benefits were evident for both formal volunteering and informal helping. And in addition to that, moderate engagement of just two to four hours was consistently linked to robust benefits.”

The study is among the first to look simultaneously at the impact of volunteering in the formal sense and more informal types of helping, such as assisting neighbors, relatives or friends in need with things like getting to a health appointment, caring for children, lawn work or preparing taxes.

“Informal helping is sometimes assumed to offer fewer health benefits due to its lack of social recognition,” said Han. But in fact, “It was a pleasant surprise to find that it provides cognitive benefits comparable to formal volunteering.”

For the study, the researchers analyzed longitudinal data from the national Health and Retirement Study, examining results from a representative sample of US residents over the age of 51 dating back to 1998. After controlling for factors such as wealth, physical and mental health, and education, the researchers found that age-related cognitive decline slowed as people began and sustained helping behaviors. That data suggest that greater gains may be expected in people who make helping behaviors part of their routine, year over year.

“Conversely, our data show that completely withdrawing from helping is associated with worse cognitive function,” Han said. “This suggests the importance of keeping older adults engaged in some form of helping for as long as possible, with appropriate supports and accommodations in place.”

To read the abstract and “snippets” of the study, published in Social Science & Medicine, click here