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Study/ Volunteering slows brain aging

2025-08-20 08:24:00, Shëndeti CNA

Study/ Volunteering slows brain aging

Do you want to keep your brain healthy as you age?

A new study suggests that you regularly volunteer some of your time to your community, neighborhood, friends, or family.

People who help regularly slow the rate of age-related brain decline by 15% to 20%, researchers report in the October issue of the journal Social Science & Medicine.

This benefit was consistently observed when people devoted two to four hours a week to helping others, the researchers said.

"Everyday acts of support, whether organized or personal, can have lasting cognitive impact," said lead researcher Sae Hwang Han, an assistant professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.

“What struck me was that the cognitive benefits of helping others were not just short-term improvements, but cumulative over time with sustained engagement, and these benefits were evident for both formal volunteering and informal helping,” Han said in a press release. “And what’s more, even moderate engagement of just two to four hours was consistently associated with strong benefits.”

The study results showed that age-related cognitive decline was slowed in people who began volunteering, either as part of an organized effort or informally among their neighbors, friends, and family outside the home.

About 1 in 3 older Americans volunteer formally, while more than half manage to help people in their lives informally, the researchers said.

Researchers said greater gains can be expected among people who make helping part of their routine year after year.

These benefits likely come either from strengthening a person's social connections or by reducing daily stress, the researchers said.

Such volunteerism can reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, which have been shown to erode a person's brain power over time./ CNA





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