Frequent Social Interaction May Help Improve Cognitive Performance

Social interaction exercises the brain and helps maintain good mental health. According to new study, mature adults who have more frequent social interactions may have better cognitive performance than those with less frequent social interactions.

Participants in the study included 312 adults between the ages of 70 and 90. For 16 days, 5 times per day, the participants reported how many social interactions they had had, who they interacted with, and if the experience was positive or negative. After reporting in, they performed three mobile cognitive tests.

The researchers found that having more pleasant social interactions in a day resulted in better cognitive performance that day and the following two days. In addition, participants who interacted more frequently with people they were close to, especially friends, performed better on the cognitive tests compared to those who interacted less frequently.

The study was conducted by researchers from The Pennsylvania State University. It was published online ahead of print on August 26, 2021 in the journal PLOS ONE.