Could a book, a notebook or a foreign language class act as a “shield” for the brain? A new U.S. study suggests the answer may be yes.
According to the findings, regularly engaging in mentally stimulating activities — such as reading, writing and learning one or two foreign languages — is associated with up to a 40% lower risk of developing dementia.
The data carry particular weight as experts estimate that by 2050 dementia cases will have tripled worldwide, exceeding 150 million. Prevention and delaying the onset of the disease are now central goals for healthcare systems.
“Lifelong learning makes a difference”
Researchers found that participation in cognitively stimulating activities at all stages of life was linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease — the most common form of dementia — as well as to slower cognitive decline.
“Our findings are encouraging. Continuous engagement in a variety of mentally stimulating activities may meaningfully influence cognitive function,” said the study’s lead author, Andrea Zammit of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
She added that access to libraries, educational programs and environments that foster a love of learning is not a luxury — but potentially a public health tool.
How the study was conducted
The study followed 1,939 individuals with an average age of 80 who had not been diagnosed with dementia at the start of the research. Participants were tracked for approximately eight years and completed detailed questionnaires about their habits and sources of cognitive stimulation at different stages of life.
Researchers assessed three life periods:
- Childhood and adolescence (up to age 18): frequency of reading books, access to newspapers and atlases at home, and learning a foreign language for more than five years.
- Midlife: income level at age 40, household resources such as magazine subscriptions, dictionaries and library cards, and frequency of activities such as visiting museums or libraries.
- Late life: frequency of reading, writing and playing cognitive games, as well as overall income from social security, pensions and other sources.
The striking results
During the study period, 551 participants developed Alzheimer’s disease and 719 developed mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
The comparison between those with the highest level of lifelong cognitive enrichment (top 10%) and those with the lowest (bottom 10%) was revealing:
- In the highest group, 21% developed Alzheimer’s disease.
- In the lowest group, the figure rose to 34%.
Even after accounting for factors such as age, sex and education, higher levels of lifelong cognitive enrichment were associated with:
- 38% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease
- 36% lower risk of mild cognitive impairment
Even more striking, individuals with high levels of mental activity developed Alzheimer’s at an average age of 94, compared with 88 among those with lower levels — a delay of more than five years.
For mild cognitive impairment, the difference reached seven years.
What autopsies revealed
Among participants who died during the study and underwent autopsy, those with higher lifelong cognitive enrichment maintained better memory and thinking skills and experienced slower cognitive decline prior to death.
The takeaway
The study does not suggest that reading “eliminates” dementia. However, it indicates that lifelong intellectual engagement may build cognitive reserve — a kind of mental resilience that helps the brain withstand age-related damage.
In other words, every page we read and every new skill we learn may be more than just knowledge. It could be an investment in our brain’s future.