Texting and emailing people can reduce your risk of developing dementia if you live alone.
Social isolation has been recognised as a “substantial risk factor” for dementia—but even texting and sending emails can combat the damaging effects of loneliness, say researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
They estimate that social isolation raises the risk of dementia by 27 percent, but people who are isolated can reduce the risk by as much as 31 percent if they regularly use a cell phone, or text or email. They had looked at the impact of social isolation on a group of 5022 people who were 65 years or older.
Around a quarter of Americans who are 65 years of age or older are socially isolated, a social problem that was exacerbated by the recent Covid lockdowns.
Even if people rarely leave their homes, using a cell phone or communicating with the outside world can help people feel more connected. Social connections of any kind are good for our cognitive health, said Thomas Cudjoe, one of the researchers.
