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New research highlights the importance of social engagement for cognitive health
Research shows reducing social isolation slows cognitive decline in later life across all genders, races, and education levels, based on over 30,000 US participants.
- University of St Andrews-led researchers reported on 16 December 2025 in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B a direct causal link between higher social isolation and faster later-life cognitive decline.
- Amid growing interest in social isolation's health effects, researchers framed reducing isolation as a public health priority given Alzheimer's disease's impact and lack of cure.
- By analysing US Health and Retirement Study data from 2004–2018, researchers examined cognitive tests by over 30,000 individuals, distinguishing objective social isolation from loneliness.
- Reducing social isolation produced a protective effect on cognitive function for people across gender, race, ethnicity and education groups, the study found.
- The findings challenge the view that subjective loneliness alone explains decline, showing social isolation has an independent effect amid Alzheimer's disease affecting 6.9 million people in the United States and one in every 11 over 65s in the UK.
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New research highlights the importance of social engagement for cognitive health
New research from the University of St Andrews has discovered a direct causal effect between social isolation and a faster decline in later- life cognitive function. Pathological cognitive decline is most often driven by Alzheimer's and related dementias.
·United States
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Reducing social isolation protects the brain in later life, study shows
New research from the University of St Andrews has discovered a direct causal effect between social isolation and a faster decline in later-life cognitive function. Pathological cognitive decline is most often driven by Alzheimer's and related dementias
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Total News Sources23
Leaning Left3Leaning Right3Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution46% Center
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources are Center
46% Center
L 27%
C 46%
R 27%
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