81. Stay socially connected to avoid cognitive decline. Reach out.
Brain boosters aren’t confined to supplements and crossword puzzles. If you want to stay mentally sharp as you age (and who doesn’t?) one of the best things you can do is maintain meaningful social connections.
Data point of the week
A meta-analysis of 51 studies assessing the impact of social isolation on cognitive functioning concluded that:
“High engagement in social activity and large social networks were associated with better late-life cognitive function.”
In other words, if you want to ward off memory loss and cognitive decline, stay socially active! People with active social lives stay sharper longer.
Reflection
When I think of aging well, I think of my maternal grandmother, who stayed mentally sharp, active, and engaged into her late nineties. Even when the pandemic confined her to her room during her final years, she managed to maintain a positive attitude and stayed engaged in other ways, such as playing Words With Friends. At 99 she still beat me now and then—talk about staying sharp!
Connection Skill & Action Step: Reach out (to old friends and new acquaintances)
Staying socially active sometimes means taking the initiative to reach out and connect. It doesn’t have to be complicated. For example:
Reach out to reconnect with a someone you’ve lost touch with. You might be surprised at how happy they are to hear from you! One of the perks of social media is being able to find people you’ve fallen out of contact with (but try to take your interaction offline).
Reach out to someone who you know is going through a hard time. Check-in and offer support or a diversion.
Reach out to someone you met recently and would like to get to know better and propose an activity or follow-up get-together.
Reaching out and initiating connection can take emotional energy. If this feels challenging, consider setting a small goal, like reaching out to one person per week. Or, gamify it by setting a target goal (reach out to 5 people), batching it into one day, and giving yourself a mini-reward.
Questions. Please share your responses in the comments—I love hearing from you.
Have you ever reconnected with someone you’d lost touch with for years? If so, how did it go? If not, are there any people from your past that you’d like to reconnect with?
