Brain age linked to social support

A U.S. study involving 194 adults found that spending time supporting loved ones is associated with a younger-looking brain. Researchers from Georgetown, Emory, and Wisconsin-Madison universities published their findings in Translational Psychiatry, analyzing data from the MIDUS survey on aging.

Emotional support matters more

The study found that emotional support, such as offering comfort or listening, appears to be more significant than material assistance like providing money or goods. The results showed that the more time a person spends supporting others, the younger their brain appears for their age, even when accounting for health, lifestyle, and the support they receive.

Study details and methodology

The team led by Minwoo Lee and Casey K. Brown studied adults aged 27 to 95 years, asking them to report their monthly hours of unpaid help and emotional support given to others. Participants completed these questionnaires about four years before undergoing a brain MRI scan.

BrainAGE as a biomarker

An algorithm trained on 3,337 healthy individuals estimated the age of each participant's brain from the MRI images. The difference between the estimated age and the person's actual age, called BrainAGE, serves as a biomarker. A higher BrainAGE is associated with increased risks of dementia, depression, and mortality.

More support, younger brain

On average, participants spent about 70 hours per month helping their loved ones. Those who gave 70 additional hours per month had brains that appeared 1.4 years younger than their actual age.