Single adults have lower risk of developing dementia—study
Are you worried that you're still single? A new study on dementia might just shed a positive light on your solo status.
A recent Florida State University study found that individuals who never marry, are widowed, or are divorced have a lower risk of dementia diagnosis compared to married participants.
A total of 24,107 older adults were assessed by the researchers every year for up to 18 years, after which they concluded that all of the unmarried individuals were at least 50% less likely to develop dementia compared to their married counterparts.
During the course of the research, some of the married participants lost their partners. They were then observed to be less likely to develop dementia than the participants who stayed married. Apart from that, unmarried individuals also had a lower chance of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers explained that those who were single were "more likely to socialize with friends and neighbors" and were also more prone to "engage in healthier behaviors than their married counterparts."
"Married individuals tend to have less social integration and are engaged in less frequent and lower-quality interactions in their networks compared to their unmarried counterparts. These positive aspects of well-being and social ties may potentially serve as protective factors against dementia over time," they stated.
"In contrast, individuals who are unhappy in their marriage, an indicator of marital quality, are more likely to have equal or worse health and mortality risk compared to those who are widowed, divorced, or never-married counterparts. Thus, marital quality may play a key role in the association," they added.
Other factors that could be considered to have a higher risk of dementia include age, sex, race, education, living alone, depression, smoking behavior, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and diagnostic form, among others.
Nava Silton, a professor of psychology at Marymount Manhattan College, pointed out that marriage isn't always smooth sailing as there are stressors that can affect one's well-being over time. Chronic stress caused by financial, emotional, or interpersonal can particularly deteriorate cognitive function.
"Married people might have additional financial strain and marital strain, and those types of things can be problematic," she told FOX 5 New York.
She also pointed out how married couples may "unintentionally limit their social circles over time" compared to single people.
"Singles might have more varied social networks. They might pursue unique experiences. They might take better care of their health," Silton added.
"Happiness is incredibly important for physical and psychological health. Doing what you need to maintain a healthy sense of self and feeling satisfied in life is really important," she highlighted.
