Self-reflection linked to improved late-life cognition and brain health

Elderly man sitting alone - Credit: pasja1000 on Pixabay Self-reflection is positively associated with cognition late in life as well as glucose metabolism, a marker of brain health, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The authors of the new study, published in Neurology , say that older adults who engage in self-reflection may have a reduced risk of dementia. Lead author, PhD candidate Harriet Demnitz-King (UCL Psychiatry), said: "There is a growing body of evidence finding that positive psychological factors, such as purpose in life and conscientiousness, may reduce the risk of dementia. Finding further ways to reduce the risk of dementia is an urgent priority, so we hope that as self-reflection capabilities can be improved upon, it could be a useful tool in helping people to stay cognitively healthy as they age. "Anyone can engage in self-reflection and potentially increase how much they self-reflect, as it is not dependent on physical health or socioeconomic factors." The study used cross-sectional data (rather than reporting results of the trial interventions) from two clinical trials, Age-Well and SCD-Well, that included a total of 259 participants with mean ages of 69 and 73. They answered questions about reflective pondering, measuring how often they think about and try to understand their thoughts and feelings. The researchers found that people who engaged more in self-reflection had better cognition and improved glucose metabolism as shown by brain imaging.