Staying mentally and socially active

Using your mind and spending time with other people are two of the most hopeful parts of brain health. Large studies link more schooling, mentally active work and hobbies, and regular social contact with a lower chance of dementia.^1,2

This page explains what the research shows and where it is still unclear. It covers education, everyday mental activity, brain-training games, social life, and the 2025 U.S. POINTER lifestyle trial. It ends with simple steps you can start this week, at any age.

Why an active mind and social life may protect the brain

Scientists use the term cognitive reserve (the brain's ability to keep working well even when disease is building up inside it). Think of it as a backup supply. A person with more reserve may not show memory problems until later, even with the same amount of brain changes.²

The 2024 Lancet Commission, a group of leading dementia experts, reviewed the research. It found that physical, mental and social activities all seem to build this reserve.² The experts think more reserve built over a lifetime, along with healthier blood vessels, may help explain why dementia rates have fallen in some countries.²

Social contact may help in other ways too. A conversation uses memory, attention and language all at once.

Education: what if you did not finish school?

Less education in early life is one of the 14 risk factors in the 2024 report. It is linked to about 5% of dementia cases worldwide, or about 1 in 20.¹ The experts point out that how much a person learned seems to matter more than simply the number of years in a classroom.²

If you left school early, this is not a reason to worry. Many people with little schooling never get dementia. The same report found that mentally demanding work in midlife was linked to lower risk, including in people with less education.² In one very large study of more than 100,000 workers, people with mentally challenging jobs had about a 20% lower risk than people with the least challenging jobs.²

So learning can keep going your whole life. Taking a class, learning a skill, or reading about a new subject all count.

Everyday mental activity: reading, games and hobbies

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) says everyday activities that use the mind, such as reading, may help thinking.³ Here is what some of the research found:

• In a study of nearly 2,000 adults aged 70 and older with normal memory, people who did games, crafts, computer use and social activities were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI, small memory or thinking problems that do not yet affect daily life).³
• A review of 19 studies linked mentally stimulating leisure activities to a lower risk of thinking problems and dementia.³

What these studies cannot tell us. They watched people over time. They did not assign people to activities at random. People who are already starting to have hidden brain changes may quietly drop their hobbies years before a diagnosis. That can make hobbies look more protective than they really are.²

Even so, mental activities are low-risk, often fun, and good for mood. The best activity is one you enjoy enough to keep doing. Something new and a little hard, like learning an instrument, a language or a craft, may give your brain more of a challenge than something you already know well.

Brain-training games and apps

Brain training means practicing set tasks, often on a computer or phone, to sharpen memory, attention or speed. Some companies sell these programs with big promises.

What the ACTIVE trial showed

ACTIVE was a large U.S. study of healthy adults aged 65 and older. Their average age was 73. Volunteers were trained in one of three skills: memory, reasoning, or speed of processing (how fast you take in and react to what you see).³

The results, in plain terms:³

• Each type of training improved the skill that was practiced.
• Gains in reasoning and speed were still there up to 10 years later.
• It is not known whether these gains help people live on their own longer.

A large review of 215 trials with about 12,500 older adults also found that brain training improved thinking test scores in healthy older adults and in people with MCI.³

What it does not show

Better scores on thinking tests are not the same as preventing dementia. In 2017, a national expert panel called the evidence for brain training "encouraging but inconclusive." It said more trials were needed before brain training could be called a way to prevent dementia.³ The 2024 Lancet report found only low-quality evidence of small, short-term benefits from computer brain training, and no proof of long-term effects.²

The NIA also warns that the apps sold in stores may not work like the programs tested in research.³

Bottom line. If you enjoy brain games, they are fine to play. Do not pay a lot for a program that promises to prevent dementia. Time spent learning a real skill, or doing an activity with other people, may give you more for your effort. Limited research

Social contact and loneliness

Social isolation means having few contacts with other people. Loneliness is the painful feeling of being alone or not close to anyone. You can feel lonely in a crowd, or be content living alone.

About 1 in 3 U.S. adults say they feel lonely, and about 1 in 4 say they lack social and emotional support.⁸ Older adults are one of the groups most at risk of isolation.⁸

What the research shows:

• The U.S. Surgeon General reports that long-term loneliness and isolation in older adults may raise the risk of dementia by about 50%.⁷
• The 2024 Lancet report links social isolation in later life to about 5% of dementia cases.¹ Reviews found that people with less social contact had a higher risk.²
• Some of this link may run the other way. Early brain changes can make a person pull back from others before memory problems are noticed.²

Do social programs help thinking? Only a few trials have tested this. A small Finnish study of lonely people aged 75 and older found a small gain in thinking after three months of group activities led by a trained leader. Similar studies in the U.S. and China did not find a benefit. The experts say studies so far are too small and too short to show an effect on dementia.² Promising

Still, isolation and loneliness are also linked to heart disease and stroke.⁸ Connection is worth building for its own sake. Hearing loss often makes social life harder, so getting your hearing checked can help on both fronts. See hearing, vision and brain health.

For more, read how loneliness affects health, loneliness in later life and ways to feel more connected.

US POINTER: putting healthy habits together

The U.S. POINTER trial tested whether a mix of healthy habits could protect thinking. It included 2,111 adults aged 60 to 79 at higher risk of memory decline.⁵ Results came out in July 2025.⁶

People were placed by chance into one of two programs for two years. Both programs encouraged exercise, a healthy diet, mental and social activity, and checking heart health.⁵

Source for the comparison: Alzheimer's Association.⁶

What it found. Thinking scores improved in both groups. The structured group improved a bit more each year.^5,6 The benefit was similar in people with and without the APOE e4 gene (a gene that raises Alzheimer's risk). It seemed larger in people who started with lower thinking scores.⁵ The structured group also had fewer side effects reported.⁵

What this means in daily life. The extra benefit from the structured program was small on paper.⁵ But it was a two-year trial of habits anyone can work on. The study did not test whether the programs prevent dementia. Most participants are now in a four-year follow-up study to learn that.⁶ The Alzheimer's Association plans to bring the program to communities across the country.⁶

POINTER also suggests a practical lesson. Support and accountability, such as a group, a class or a buddy, may help you stick with healthy habits. Read more about exercise in exercise for brain health.

Simple steps to try

1. Pick one new thing to learn this year. A language, an instrument, a craft, cooking, a computer skill or a class at a library or community college.
2. Keep a regular social date. A weekly phone call, a meal with a friend, a faith service, or a club. Put it on the calendar so it happens.
3. Combine activities. A walking group, dance class or tai chi gives you movement, learning and company at once.
4. Find a role. Volunteering, mentoring or helping a neighbor gives purpose and contact. See purpose, meaning and well-being.
5. Check your hearing. Untreated hearing loss can quietly shrink your social life.
6. Look for local programs. The Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 (call or text) can connect you with your local Area Agency on Aging and services near you.⁹

For a daily plan that brings all the brain-health steps together, see keeping your brain healthy. Other risk factors are covered in blood pressure and the heart, diabetes and weight, sleep, alcohol and smoking and head injury and air pollution.

If someone already has memory problems

Staying active still matters after a diagnosis. Activities matched to a person's abilities can lift mood, ease boredom and give a sense of purpose. See meaningful activities for ideas by stage.

If a family member is pulling away from friends and hobbies, it may be a sign of depression, hearing loss or early memory changes. A doctor visit can help sort out the cause. See depression in later life and helping someone who is isolated.

When to get help

• Talk with a doctor if you notice memory or thinking changes that are new or getting worse, or if you have lost interest in people and activities you used to enjoy.
• Call 911 for sudden confusion, sudden trouble speaking, weakness on one side, or a face that droops. These can be signs of a stroke or another emergency.
• If loneliness has turned into hopelessness or thoughts of suicide, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also visit our get help now page.

Is it too late to start in my 70s or 80s?

No. The 2024 expert report says it is never too late to lower your risk.² People in the ACTIVE trial were 65 and older, and those in POINTER were up to 79.^3,5

Do crossword puzzles prevent Alzheimer's?

No single activity has been shown to prevent Alzheimer's. Puzzles are a fine habit if you enjoy them. A mix of new learning, social time and physical activity is a better plan than one puzzle a day.^2,3

I live alone. Am I at higher risk?

Living alone is not the same as being isolated or lonely. Many people who live alone have close ties with family, friends and neighbors. If you would like more contact, start with one small step, like a weekly call or class.

Education only. This page is general information written from the sources listed. It is not medical, legal or financial advice and does not replace a doctor, therapist or lawyer who knows your situation. How we write and check pages.