Ask the doctors: Volunteering can improve cognitive health
Q: I started helping at a food bank for a kind of selfish reason — it made me feel good. But it turns out I made some good friends, which is not easy as you get older. (I'm 66.) Now I'm seeing on the news that volunteering can be good for cognitive health. I would like to know more about that.
A: First, congratulations on giving your time to a worthy cause. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food insecurity is a real and growing problem in the United States. The work you are doing provides food for adults and children who otherwise might go hungry. One of the side benefits, as you've found, is that volunteer work can enrich your life as well.
The emotional satisfaction of volunteering may be obvious. But people who give their time to their communities say they find additional benefits beyond personal satisfaction. One of the unexpected rewards is more social connection with others.
Volunteers also often find that donating time and effort improves their mood, builds skills, bolsters confidence and lowers stress. They also create stronger ties with their communities and even improve their physical health.
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and the University of Texas at Austin identified a possible connection between volunteering and improved cognition. Their findings were recently published in the journal Social Science & Medicine. The National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health funded the research, along with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
The study analyzed more than two decades of health data from 30,000 adults ages 51 and older. People who reported spending two to four hours a week helping others had benefits that others didn't. The study found as much as a 15% to 20% decrease in cognitive decline for people who reported regular volunteering compared with people who didn't practice the same behavior.
The help ranged from formal volunteering in the community to assisting friends, family and neighbors. This help could involve shopping, cooking, cleaning, child care, and transportation for or help with medical appointments. It also included offering personal or professional skills, such as home maintenance, yard work, pet care or even tax preparation.
Another study analyzing the results of previous research found that people who engaged in regular volunteer work had better episodic and working memory. They also maintained verbal fluency longer than those who did not volunteer. Similar research in Japan found that people who help others report lower rates of depression, anxiety and loneliness.
All this research points to multiple reasons for the benefits of volunteering. Increased mental, physical and emotional engagement, and the sense of purpose in helping others are all key. As you have found, and as ongoing research confirms, the act of helping others benefits not only those who receive, but also those who give.
• Dr. Eve Glazier is an internist and associate professor of medicine at UCLA Health. Dr. Elizabeth Ko is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health. Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu.
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