Older adults who spend time on self-reflection (reflecting on their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) have better cognition and glucose metabolism—which is a marker of brain health—which helps keep the brain healthy and It can reduce the risk of developing dementia, according to research led by scientists at University College London (UCL), in the United Kingdom.
“There is a growing body of evidence finding that positive psychological factors, such as purpose in life and conscientiousness, can reduce the risk of dementia. Finding more ways to reduce the risk of dementia is an urgent priority, so we hope that, as self-reflection abilities improve, it could be a useful tool in helping people stay cognitively healthy as they age.” said PhD student Harriet Demnitz-King (UCL Psychiatry) and lead author of the study, adding: “Anyone can engage in self-reflection and potentially increase the amount of self-reflection, as it is not dependent on physical health or socioeconomic factors. ”.
To carry out the research, data from two clinical trials, Age-Well and SCD-Well, were used, in which 259 individuals with average ages of 69 and 73 years participated, who answered questions about reflective thoughts, measuring the frequency with which they think and try to understand their thoughts and feelings.
“There is a growing body of evidence finding that positive psychological factors, such as purpose in life and conscientiousness, can reduce the risk of dementia.”
The researchers found that people who spent more time on self-reflection had better cognition and glucose metabolism, as shown by brain imaging. They found no association with amyloid beta deposition, the buildup of harmful brain proteins that is linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Self-reflective thinking helps cope with stress
Previous studies have found that it is possible to improve the capacity for self-reflection with a psychological intervention that has recently been tested, and according to the authors of the research, such a program could be useful for people at risk of dementia.
“Other studies have found that a self-reflective thinking style leads to a more adaptive stress response, with evidence even showing improvements in inflammatory responses to stress and better cardiovascular health, so this could be how self-reflection could improve our resilience against cognitive decline”, explained Harriet Demnitz-King.
The authors of this study, which has been published in Neurology, have warned that although the results suggest that self-reflection helps maintain good cognition, it is possible that people with better cognition are also more capable of self-reflection, which is why they believe Further investigation is needed to determine the direction of causality.
Lead author Dr Natalie Marchant (UCL Psychiatry) said: “Self-reflection has also been associated with other benefits, such as recovery from depression and better cardiovascular health, so even if we can’t confirm exactly how could affect cognitive decline, there is other evidence showing its general benefits.”
Dr Richard Oakley, Associate Director of Research at the Alzheimer’s Society, commented: “In this study, researchers showed for the first time that self-reflection – reflecting on one’s own thoughts, feelings and behaviours – was linked to better brain function. in areas of the brain known to be affected by dementia.
“Although more research is needed to fully understand the implications of this finding, if self-reflection appears to have a positive effect on brain function, there is a chance that we may one day be able to reduce the risk of dementia with psychological treatments that help people develop a healthy life.
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