Unmarried people have lower risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, study finds

This is the 64th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. There are many health benefits to being in a happy marriage. It gives each partner a sense of security and belonging. They have someone to share the burdens of life with and, as they say, a problem shared is a problem halved. That tends to alleviate stress, which can, in turn, lower hypertension, boost sleep quality and enhance mental health. Having somebody to do activities with might mean you get out more, do more exercise or enjoy a better social life. Marriage can also come with economic benefits, so people may experience fewer financial worries. There is even research to suggest a link between a lack of close relationships and inflammation, which is implicated in illnesses including cardiovascular disease, cancer and many autoimmune diseases. Another study reports that married men and married women live, on average, two years longer than singletons. One reason for this extended longevity is believed to be the positive impact of one partner on another’s behaviours. Dozens of studies show married people eat better, exercise more and are less likely to smoke or drink too much. Two years ago, this Post series on dementia published an article based on a study that suggested marriage was positive for brain health. “There’s lots of research to indicate that elderly married individuals are less likely to develop dementia compared to their single counterparts,” says psychotherapist Michael Beckham at Central Minds in Hong Kong. All this means that a new study on links between marriage and brain health comes as something of a shock. Research from Florida State University in the US found that unmarried people are less likely to develop dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Postdoctoral researcher Selin Karakose said the team followed up a sample of more than 20,000 older adults for up to 18 years with annual evaluations at specialised dementia clinics across the United States. “We found that unmarried older adults had a lower risk of dementia compared to their married counterparts,” Karakose said, adding that “widowed, divorced and never-married individuals had about 50 per cent or lower dementia risk relative to their married counterparts”. This effect was similar across both male and female participants, as well as younger and older adults. Why might being married be a risk factor for dementia when it is meant to be good for our health overall? “Older married individuals may have a smaller social network, they tend to be less self-reliant and may experience stressful conditions such as caregiving, which could contribute to the risk of dementia,” Karakose said. There is also some evidence that divorce can lead to greater happiness and life satisfaction if the marriage has been unhappy, she said. Widowed individuals may experience an increase in close network size in the years after losing a spouse, which could potentially protect against dementia risk. Assuming those of us who are married are unlikely to ditch our other halves based on one – admittedly large – study, what can we do to make sure our marriages are good for our brains? Dr Quratulain Zaidi, a registered clinical psychologist at Mindnlife in Hong Kong, says that while having shared interests is certainly a good thing, so too is being supportive and respectful of individual interests and friendships. It is crucial, she says, for each partner to let the other “maintain their identity outside the relationship”, essentially “maintaining the ‘me’ in ‘we’”. That means each having their own individual group of friends and social network as well as mutual friends. Social connection is important for brain health. So, too, is the focus on staying physically and cognitively independent. “No matter how perfect your partner is for you, they are not everything,” Zaidi says. Change things up in big and little ways within a relationship, she suggests. Take a walk with a friend or family member if you normally go for a walk with one another. Make sure you both know how to manage household finances. Or if one party always organises holidays for the two of you, let the other take the lead now and again. Interestingly, cultural context can also influence dementia awareness, Zaidi says. “For instance, in many Asian joint-family systems – particularly in the subcontinent – dementia symptoms or declining cognitive abilities are less likely to go unnoticed, as multiple generations often live together under one roof, typically sharing communal spaces like a courtyard. Someone would notice it.” This is one reason a sense of community is beneficial as we get older. Research shows that staying happily married is also about having regular check-ins with your partner on their view of the relationship, asking things like “how are we doing?” and “how are you doing?” Zaidi says. In other words, while it is important to maintain the “me”, it is also crucial to sustain an interest in one another and work to create “a culture of mutual respect and appreciation focusing on what your partner does right rather than what they do wrong”. If something about them annoys you, she suggests, engage in a little self-reflection and consider that there are probably things that you do that annoy them too. While the new research from Florida State University challenges the idea that marriage is always good for your brain – suggesting that what is important is not your relationship status but how happy and healthy that relationship is – I am not alarmed by the change in scientific opinion on marriage and dementia. I am heartened that researchers continue to dig: the more we know, the more chance we will stand of avoiding this ghastly illness. In my own 36-year arrangement then, my husband needs to get more involved in the holiday planning – and I need to join him on more of his social excursions. We are working on that. Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.

Unmarried people have lower risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, study finds

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Widowed, divorced and never-married individuals in a US study had roughly 50 per cent or lower dementia risk compared with married people

Widowed, divorced and never-married individuals in a US study had roughly 50 per cent or lower dementia risk compared with married people