The association of leisure activities in middle adulthood with cognitive performance in old age: Social capital mediates cognitive reserve effects.

Sauter, Julia; Widmer, Éric; Ihle, Andreas; Kliegel, Matthias · 2018 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1037/pne0000146

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

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Summary

This study investigates the mechanisms linking leisure activities in middle adulthood to cognitive performance in old age, specifically testing whether family-based social capital mediates this relationship. While previous research established that active lifestyles and social participation protect against cognitive decline, the specific interplay between past leisure engagement, the accumulation of social capital, and later-life cognition remained underexplored. The authors aimed to determine if the social resources built through midlife activities serve as a buffer for cognitive reserve in older adults. The research utilized data from the Vivre-Leben-Vivere survey, a large-scale study of elderly individuals in Switzerland. The final sample comprised 2,788 cognitively healthy adults aged 65 to 101. Cognitive performance was assessed using three metrics: verbal abilities (Mill Hill Vocabulary Scale), processing speed (Trail Making Test Part A), and cognitive flexibility (Trail Making Test Part B). Participants retrospectively reported their engagement in 18 distinct leisure activities at age 45. Social capital was measured through egocentric family network analysis, where respondents identified up to five significant family members and reported on support exchanges. Key indicators included network size, density, reciprocity, in-degree (support given), out-degree (support received), and betweenness centrality. Mediation analyses were conducted using path models to test if these social capital indices explained the link between midlife leisure and current cognitive function, controlling for age, gender, education, and family structure. The results indicated that larger family network sizes, higher in-degrees, and higher out-degrees were significantly correlated with better performance across all three cognitive domains. Mediation analysis revealed that network size and in-degree (the support an individual provides to family members) significantly mediated the relationship between leisure activities at age 45 and verbal abilities in old age. Specifically, network size accounted for 2.6% of the variance, while in-degree accounted for 5.6%. No significant mediation effects were found for processing speed or cognitive flexibility, nor for other social capital indices such as density or reciprocity. These findings suggest that the cognitive benefits of midlife leisure activities are partially transmitted through the development of robust family networks and the individual’s role as an active supporter within those networks. The study highlights that being an active agent in one’s family—providing support rather than merely receiving it—is associated with enhanced cognitive performance. This supports the cognitive reserve theory by identifying social capital as a key mediator, implying that social engagement and relational maintenance are crucial for preserving cognitive health. The authors conclude that future research should explore these dynamics in friendship networks and utilize longitudinal designs to better understand the causal pathways of cognitive decline.

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• cognitive aging