Loneliness may affect memory in older adults, but it does not appear to make mental decline happen faster over time. That is the conclusion of a major European study that followed more than 10,000 people over seven years.
Researchers found that participants who reported feeling lonelier scored worse on memory tests at the beginning of the study. However, their memory declined at about the same pace as people who reported lower levels of loneliness.
The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Aging & Mental Health and are based on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The analysis included 10,217 adults between the ages of 65 and 94 from 12 European countries.
Loneliness has become an increasingly important public health concern because of its effects on lifespan, mental health, physical health, and overall well-being.
The researchers say the results strengthen evidence connecting loneliness with brain function in older adults while also supporting the idea that social isolation may not directly drive dementia risk.
Researchers Suggest Loneliness Screening
The authors say regular screening for loneliness could potentially become part of cognitive health assessments for older adults. The research team included scientists from the Universidad del Rosario in Colombia, the Clínica Universitaria de Navarra and Universitat de Valencia in Spain, and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. They believe identifying loneliness could become one strategy among many to encourage healthier aging.
“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” says lead author Dr Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria, from the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario.
“It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline.
“The study underscores the importance of addressing loneliness as a significant factor in the context of cognitive performance in older adults.”
Loneliness and Dementia Research
Loneliness and social isolation are widely considered important risk factors for dementia. Still, previous research has produced mixed results. Some studies have suggested loneliness speeds up cognitive decline, while others have found little or no connection.
The goal of this study was to examine how loneliness influences changes in memory over time, specifically immediate and delayed recall over a seven-year period.
Researchers analyzed data collected between 2012 and 2019 from SHARE, a long-running project launched in 2002 that studies the health and aging of Europeans aged 50 and older.
How the Study Measured Memory and Loneliness
Participants came from countries including Germany, Spain, Sweden, and Slovenia. The 12 nations were grouped into four regions: Central, South, North, and Eastern Europe.
People with a history of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, were excluded from the study. Researchers also excluded individuals whose daily living activities were considered ‘impaired’ (which was classified as people who have any disability in activities such as walking, eating, or taking a shower).
Memory was tested by measuring how well participants could recall information immediately and after a delay. One test asked people to remember as many words as possible from a spoken list of 10 words within one minute.
Researchers defined loneliness as ‘feeling alone’. Participants answered three questions that were used to categorize loneliness as low, average, or high.
The questions were as follows: How much of the time do you feel you lack companionship?, How much of the time do you feel left out?, and How much of the time do you feel isolated from others?
The study also accounted for factors that could influence memory and cognitive health, including physical activity, social participation, depression scores, diabetes, and other health conditions.
Key Findings on Memory Decline
The highest levels of loneliness were reported in Southern European countries (12%), followed by Eastern Europe (9%), Northern Europe (9%), and Central Europe (6%).
Most participants (92%) reported either low or average loneliness at the beginning of the study. The group with high loneliness levels (8%) tended to be older, mostly women, and more likely to report poorer health. They also showed higher rates of depression, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Participants with high loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed recall tests at the start of the study compared to those with lower loneliness levels.
However, memory decline over time was similar across all loneliness groups. Researchers observed a steeper decline in memory between year three and year seven, but this pattern appeared regardless of loneliness level.
Study Limitations
The researchers note that the study treated loneliness as a fixed condition throughout the research period. In reality, feelings of loneliness may change over time ‘in response to shifts in personal or environmental characteristics across the lifespan’.
Reference: “Memory trajectories in lonely individuals in Europe: an analysis of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)” by Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria, Eliana Pineda-Mateus, Miguel German Borda, Encarnación Satorres, Carmen Bueno-López and Juan Carlos Mélendez, 13 April 2026, Aging & Mental Health.
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2026.2624569
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