A more positive outlook in midlife could help protect against memory decline, according to a study tracking more than 10,000 adults aged over 50 across 16 years.
Researchers found that people reporting greater happiness, confidence and a sense of control went on to perform better in memory tests, even after accounting for depression and other influencing factors.
The association between wellbeing and memory was small but statistically significant.
Those with higher psychological wellbeing were more likely to retain recall ability over time, and the link remained even after adjusting for depressive symptoms.
Lead author Dr Amber John is lecturer in psychology at the University of Liverpool and Alzheimer’s Research UK Fellow.
She said: “In the context of an ageing population, understanding factors that may protect and maintain healthy cognitive function is critical for enhanced population health and health policy development.
“While, in this research, we can’t examine and understand the relationship between causes and effects, determining if one event leads to another (causality), our findings are important in proposing that good wellbeing predates better memory rather than vice versa.”
The findings come from an analysis of data from 10,760 participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, collected between 2002 and 2018.
Researchers from the UK, US and Spain examined responses to wellbeing questionnaires and memory tests conducted every two years.
The memory assessment involved asking participants to recall a list of ten words both immediately and again after a delay – a common test of short-term and delayed memory function.
Wellbeing was measured by self-reported satisfaction in areas such as pleasure, control, autonomy and self-realisation.
Participants were asked to respond to questions like, “I can do the things that I want to do” and “I feel that life is full of opportunities.”
Interestingly, the researchers found no evidence that better memory led to improved wellbeing later, suggesting the protective link may work primarily in one direction – although the authors said this possibility could not be ruled out.
Dr John said: “This suggests that the link between wellbeing and memory is not just because people with poor memory have poor wellbeing and that, if causality is demonstrated, improving wellbeing could protect against subsequent memory decline.”
Professor Joshua Stott, co-author and professor of ageing and clinical psychology at UCL, said: “This study represents an important step toward understanding the interplay between wellbeing and memory over time. It offers new insights into how self-rated wellbeing is associated with memory and vice versa.
“While our findings are preliminary, they highlight the importance of considering psychosocial influences on brain health such as memory.”