Time with Friends May Build Cognitive Reserve

Social isolation is a modifiable risk factor associated with dementia. Spending time with friends is one enjoyable way to strengthen social connection and support brain health.

A 28-year study published in PLOS Medicine found that more frequent contact with friends at age 60 was associated with a lower risk of developing dementia and better cognitive performance over time.

In other words, spending time with friends may help support cognitive reserve. Cognitive reserve is your brain’s ability to keep functioning despite age-related changes or disease.

Social Connection Is a Modifiable Risk Factor

The 2024 Lancet Commission on dementia identifies social isolation in later life as as a modifiable risk factor for dementia. Regular social connection deserves a place in a thoughtful dementia risk-reduction plan.

Socializing with friends can exercise many parts of the brain: memory, language, visual processing, listening, thinking, emotion, facial recognition, and movement.

Spending time with friends can also leave you feeling invigorated, intellectually stimulated, and connected. All very good stuff.

Lunch with a friend is an overall brain workout!

Easy Ways to Stay Connected

Now, not all of us are social butterflies.

Sometimes it takes serious self-talk to keep that date. It takes purposeful effort to schedule time with a friend or seek out new friendships. Be proactive. Do not always wait for friends to call you. They may be sitting at home waiting for you to call them.

• Make a standing date. Book a weekly or monthly activity together.

• Have a virtual date with a long-distance friend. FaceTime over a cup of coffee.

• Share a walk. Socializing while moving offers two brain-healthy habits at once.

• Remember the big moments. Reach out on birthdays and anniversaries.

• Build traditions. Schedule an annual girls’ trip, monthly movie, or weekly manicure date.

• Follow local event listings. Invite a friend to a street fair, concert, or food festival.

• Check in on others. Reach out to someone who may be feeling isolated. You might make their day, and they might become your next bestie.

Filling your calendar with a healthy circle of friends can enrich your life while supporting cognitive health.

Today’s Action

Pick up your calendar. Choose one person. Extend a specific invitation.

“We should get together sometime” is lovely, but an actual date has a much better chance of happening.

References

1. Livingston G, Huntley J, Liu KY, et al. Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care: 2024 Report of the Lancet Standing Commission. The Lancet. 2024;404(10452):572–628.

2. Sommerlad A, Sabia S, Singh-Manoux A, Lewis G, Livingston G. Association of Social Contact With Dementia and Cognition: 28-Year Follow-Up of the Whitehall II Cohort Study. PLOS Medicine. 2019;16(8):e1002862.

This article is for educational and informational purposes. It does not replace individualized medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. See the complete Disclaimer.