Loneliness: Greater Negative Impact on Memory Than Social Isolation?

The AHA! Team — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 08:21:45 +0000

University of Waterloo via News-Medical – About a third of Canadians feel lonely, and a study from the University of Waterloo shows it has a greater negative impact on memory than even social isolation, though both present a significant risk to the aging population. Loneliness is a subjective emotion that people might feel even while engaging in social activities. It is often associated with depression and an increase in stress hormones that may contribute to impaired memory. Waterloo researchers examined four combinations of social isolation and loneliness and their effect on memory in middle-aged and older adults over a six-year period. These combinations include being socially isolated and lonely, being only socially isolated, being only lonely and being neither. “As we expected, people who were both socially isolated and lonely had the greatest decline in memory, which intensified over the six years. But we were surprised to find that loneliness alone had the second-greatest impact on memory, even though so many studies report on the dangers of social isolation without considering loneliness.” Ji Won Kang, lead author on the paper and PhD candidate in the School of Public Health Sciences at Waterloo Those who aren’t lonely but are socially isolated may be stimulating their mental capacity with solo activities, such as reading, playing games and engaging in hobbies that improve memory and stimulate the brain, despite not engaging in social activities. Loneliness alone had the second-greatest impact on memory Kang hopes the findings of this research will highlight the need for community programs, especially for the combined group of older adults who are both socially isolated and lonely, and therefore at the highest risk of memory impairment. “Older adults in the lonely category often have lower incomes than the other groups and may have structural barriers and health conditions preventing them from connecting to their communities,” she said. “A solution could be to implement transportation or home-visit programs-; something to address the societal issues that lead to them being more isolated.” The group who is just lonely is the next priority, requiring a different approach. “We would need to know what is causing their loneliness,” Kang said. “They may be connected socially and have close relationships, but for example, maybe their marriage is falling apart and they would benefit from counselling.” The study was an interdisciplinary project between the School of Public Health Sciences and the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at Waterloo. Exploring the differential impacts of social isolation, loneliness, and their combination on the memory of an aging population: A 6-year longitudinal study of the CLSA appears in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. Source: University of Waterloo Journal reference: Kang, J. W., et al. (2024). Exploring the Differential Impacts of Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Their Combination on the Memory of Aging Population: A 6-Year Longitudinal Study by the CLSA. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2024.105483. To read the original article click here.

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Mind-Body Medicine Experts Urge Full Integration of Stress Reduction into Care and Research

AHA Publisher — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 07:00:37 +0000

University of California – Davis Health via EurekAlert – The need is especially important now, when COVID-19 fears are high. In a perspective published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Benson-Henry Institute (BHI) for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and from UC Davis Health call for broader use of mind-body practices. In a time when meditation, yoga and mindfulness increase in popularity for general well-being, the piece emphasizes the necessity of fully integrating these stress-reduction practices into patient treatment plans and medical research. Stress exacerbates anxiety and depression and plays a role in conditions such as cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches and chronic pain, according to lead author Michelle Dossett of UC Davis Health. “By reducing the body’s stress response, mind-body practices can be a powerful adjunct in medicine by helping to decrease patients’ symptoms and improving their quality of life,” said Dossett, who was a physician and researcher with BHI when the perspective was written. Dossett also noted that mind-body practices can be helpful in reducing stress related to the COVID-19 epidemic. Despite its recent rise in popularity among the general public, mind-body medicine isn’t new. Researchers at BHI have been integrating the field of mind-body medicine into MGH’s clinical care, research and training programs since 2006. Early research on the advantages of such techniques dates back 40+ years, when the institute’s founder and perspective senior author, Herbert Benson, became one of the first Western physicians to bring spirituality and healing into medicine and is most famously known for his work with the Relaxation Response. “The Relaxation Response,” Benson has stated, “is an inborn, anti-stress capacity that transcends the differences that separate mind from body, science from spirituality and one culture from another.” At BHI, mind-body medicine is widely recognized as the third leg of a three-legged stool: the first leg is surgery, the second is pharmaceuticals and the third is self-care, in which patients learn techniques to improve their own health through mind-body medicine, nutrition and exercise. “Western medicine has produced revolutionary health benefits through advances in pharmacotherapies and procedures,” the researchers wrote in the perspective. “It now faces enormous challenges in battling stress-related noncommunicable diseases. …Chronic pain, often perpetuated by psychosocial stress, has become an epidemic that our pharmaceutical arsenal is poorly equipped to handle and medical costs continue to soar. Mind-body therapies can be a helpful adjunct in managing chronic pain and other stress-related noncommunicable diseases by fostering resilience through self-care.” The article also addresses skeptical patients’ preconceived notions of mind-body medicine as well as the anticipated barriers of service coverage and clinician education on the appropriate use of these tools. These challenges further reinforce the need for continued research and investment into the development and implementation of personalized practices to maximize their public health potential. To read the original article click here.

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Loneliness: Greater Negative Impact on Memory Than Social Isolation?

Mind-Body Medicine Experts Urge Full Integration of Stress Reduction into Care and Research