Friends: They can help improve memory

If you are above the age of forty and have experienced the beginnings of memory loss, pay attention.

Relationships may help improve memory.

Counterintuitive as it may sound, having social relationships plays an important role in preserving memory.

When you are engaged with another person, you need to recall all kinds of things. Their name. Major incidents or issues in their lives. The names of their children or spouse. The last time you met. Perhaps the kinds of things she will or will not eat.

Collectively, they make you a reliable friend, someone who “gets me”

Obviously, all of this requires your memories to fire, lest you mistake me in some offensive way.

Relationships are a source of support that reduce stress. Stress has been shown to damage the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memories.

Meeting people creates new experiences, learning and development. Perhaps you met to visit the museum or play a new sport together. Watch a movie, or undergo a a new dining experience.

Often, relationships manifest in physical activity. You walked up to Everest base camp or Kilimanjaro. Physical activity has been shown to be protective of the brain.

So relationships can improve memory.

There is a catch. The tension between meeting the same people and having novel experiences.

Meeting people you know and are comfortable with puts your brain in what is called the default node network.

A state of comfort where you can be yourself without thinking. In such a state, you are consolidating memories.

When you meet new people or people who stimulate you to think different, you experience novelty. The ability to have a unique experiences that stimulate the brain.

Novelty generates a protein known as brain derived neurotrophic factor or BDNF. It also fosters cognitive flexibility.

So if you are looking to preserve memory, create a set of friends who create trust and comfort. Every once in a while throw in someone new or novel.

By the way, articles such as the one I write creates both. Consistency that builds trust and novelty because there is a new topic everyday.

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