Helping Minds

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Giving one’s time may be more than rewarding. That’s because regular time spent helping others outside the home significantly slows cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults, according to a study from UT’s Sae Hwang Han.

The study of more than 30,000 adults in the U.S. found that over two decades, the rate of cognitive decline associated with aging fell by 15%-20% for people who formally volunteer their services or who help 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 Han, an assistant professor of human development and family sciences.

While about 1 in 3 older Americans are reported to engage in scheduled or formal volunteering, more than half help other people in their lives regularly in an informal way, like assisting neighbors, relatives or friends in need with things like getting to a health appointment, caring for children, doing lawn work or preparing taxes.

Another recent study, also led by Han, found that volunteering buffered the adverse effects of chronic stress on systemic inflammation, a pathway linked to cognitive decline and dementia. Together, the two studies’ findings reinforce the idea that helping others can help boost brain health.

“Many older adults in suboptimal health often continue to make valuable contributions to those around them,” Han said, “and they also may be the ones to especially benefit from being provided with opportunities to help.”

Helping others significantly slows cognitive decline in older adults.