Researchers recently explored how loneliness affects memory in older adults.
They studied over 10,000 people aged 65 and above from 12 countries for six years. At the start, participants self-reported whether they felt highly lonely, somewhat lonely, or not lonely. Notably, none of them had memory problems at the beginning.
The study showed that people who felt very lonely had worse memory at the start compared to others. However, their memory did not decline faster over time than that of those who felt less lonely.
To test memory, participants were asked to listen to a list of 10 words and then recall as many as possible right away. Later, after five minutes, during which they were distracted, they were asked to remember the words again. Even though the lonelier group started with lower memory scores, their memory worsened at about the same rate as everyone else.
The researchers also noticed that people who felt very lonely were more likely to be older and in poorer health. They also had higher rates of depression, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
"The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time, was a surprising outcome," said lead author Dr Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria, from the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario.
"It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline," he continued.
"The study underscores the importance of addressing loneliness as a significant factor in the context of cognitive performance in older adults."
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News
April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.