Eine Studie mit 600.000 Menschen weltweit ergab, dass Einsamkeit mit einem um 31 % höheren Risiko verbunden ist, dass eine Person später irgendeine Form von Demenz entwickelt. Einsamkeit erhöhte auch das Risiko einer kognitiven Beeinträchtigung bei Menschen um 15 %.

A new study finds persistent loneliness taking a toll on aging brains and significantly raising a person’s odds for dementia.

Research funded by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health tracked self-reports of loneliness and the neurological health of more than 600,000 people worldwide.

The study found loneliness was linked to a 31% rise in the likelihood that a person would go on to develop any form of dementia. Loneliness also raised the chances of cognitive impairment in people by 15%.

According to study co-author Dr Páraic Ó Súilleabháin, of the University of Limerick, in Ireland, “These are very important findings and indicate that loneliness is a critically important risk factor in the future development of dementia.”

[https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-024-00328-9](https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-024-00328-9)

How do you even measure “loneliness”?