"Many older adults in suboptimal health often continue to make valuable contributions to those around them, and they also may be the ones to especially benefit from being provided with opportunities to help,” lead author of the study, Sae Hwang Han, assistant professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a press release.
Previous studies indicate that prosocial helping behaviors are linked to better cognitive function. How transitions into and out of helping roles and time commitment affect cognitive outcomes, however, remains relatively unknown. It also remains relatively unexplored whether formal volunteering and informal forms of assistance like helping household individuals, have the same cognitive effects.
To fill this gap, the researchers behind the current study set out to investigate the effects of both formal volunteering and informal help on late-life cognitive function. To do so, they analyzed data from over 31,000 individuals aged 51 years and older spanning over 20 years.
Ultimately, they found that transitioning into formal volunteering and informal helping were linked to higher levels of cognitive function and slower cognitive decline. Sustained engagement in these activities increased cognitive benefits over time. The researchers further found that just 2-4 hours of helping per week- whether formal or informal- was consistently linked to robust cognitive benefits.
Han noted that informal helping is sometimes thought to provide fewer health benefits due to its lack of social recognition. He called it a ‘pleasant surprise’ that it provides similar benefits to more formal forms of helping.
"Conversely, our data show that completely withdrawing from helping is associated with worse cognitive function," said Han.
"This suggests the importance of keeping older adults engaged in some form of helping for as long as possible, with appropriate supports and accommodations in place,” he added.
Sources: Science Daily, Social Science
