A recent study revealed that caring for your emotional health may assist in keeping your memory sharp.
According to a study published in the journal Aging & Mental Health, individuals with increased levels of well-being have minimised risk of memory loss in the middle age.
For the study, researchers assessed data on over 10,000 people 50 and older participating in a long-term study on ageing in England.
Researchers analysed their memory and well-being every two years in a 16-year study period stretching back to 2002.
Well-being is defined as emotional health combined with the ability to function effectively, researchers said in background notes. Happiness, confidence, a sense of purpose and a feeling of control over one’s life are all linked to well-being.
Participants were asked to recall 10 words immediately and following a delay.
Results indicated a link between higher levels of well-being and improved memory, with a great impact even after adjusting for mental disorders such as depression.
The study failed to prove a cause-and-effect association between well-being and memory, but “our findings are important in proposing that good well-being predates better memory rather than vice versa,” lead researcher Amber John, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Liverpool in the UK stated.
The study further suggests an association between well-being and memory is not only because individuals with poor memory are suffering from health issues and that, if causality is explained, enhancing well-being may assist prevent future memory loss.
