Feeling lonely may affect how well older adults remember things, but it does not appear to make memory decline happen faster over time. This conclusion comes from a large European study that followed 10,217 adults between the ages of 65 and 94 from 12 European countries from 2012 to 2019.

At the start of the study, participants who reported higher levels of loneliness scored lower on memory tests. However, over the years, their memory declined at about the same rate as those who did not feel lonely.

Memory was measured by testing how well participants could recall information both immediately and after a delay. One task required them to remember within one minute as many words as possible from a list of 10 that was read aloud.

Loneliness was defined as “feeling alone.” Participants answered three questions that were used to classify their loneliness as low, average or high. The questions were: How much of the time do you feel you lack companionship? How much of the time do you feel left out? and How much of the time do you feel isolated from others?

Researchers also considered other factors that might influence memory, including physical activity, social engagement, depression scores, diabetes, and other health conditions.

The highest levels of loneliness were reported in Southern European countries (12%), followed by the Eastern region (9%), Central (6%) and Northern (9%) regions.  Most participants (92%) reported low or average loneliness at the beginning of the study. Those in the high loneliness group (8%) tended to be older, more often female, and reported poorer overall health. They also had higher rates of depression, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Despite starting at a disadvantage, individuals with higher loneliness did not experience faster memory decline. Their rate of decline was similar to those in the low and average loneliness groups. A sharper drop in memory performance was seen across all groups between year three and year seven.

The researchers suggest that routine checks for loneliness could become part of cognitive health assessments for older adults. They propose that addressing loneliness could be one of several ways to support healthier aging.

To download the full study, published in Aging & Mental Health, click here