<story><title>People who are isolated from others do worse on cognitive tests: new research</title><url>https://theconversation.com/socially-isolated-people-have-differently-wired-brains-and-poorer-cognition-new-research-185150</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>rossdavidh</author><text>While I have no argument with the conclusion, I don&amp;#x27;t see (in brief skimming of the linked Neurology article) anything to address the possibility that it works the opposite way.  Dealing with lots of other people can be cognitively taxing, and people who isolate themselves from others are perhaps doing so because they know they aren&amp;#x27;t very good at it.&lt;p&gt;Again, I believe the basic conclusion that isolation is bad for your brain is likely true, but I&amp;#x27;m not sure I agree that this is strong evidence for it.  People who sit in wheelchairs a lot have low leg strength; the wheelchairs aren&amp;#x27;t usually causing it.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>atleta</author><text>Without reading the linked article: they have accounted for this by following up for 12 years and finding that isolated people have 26% higher risk of dementia. Which points to the direction that it&amp;#x27;s isolation causing the function loss and not simply a lack of function causing isolation. (Though, of course, that direction may very well be there too.)</text></comment>
<story><title>People who are isolated from others do worse on cognitive tests: new research</title><url>https://theconversation.com/socially-isolated-people-have-differently-wired-brains-and-poorer-cognition-new-research-185150</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>rossdavidh</author><text>While I have no argument with the conclusion, I don&amp;#x27;t see (in brief skimming of the linked Neurology article) anything to address the possibility that it works the opposite way.  Dealing with lots of other people can be cognitively taxing, and people who isolate themselves from others are perhaps doing so because they know they aren&amp;#x27;t very good at it.&lt;p&gt;Again, I believe the basic conclusion that isolation is bad for your brain is likely true, but I&amp;#x27;m not sure I agree that this is strong evidence for it.  People who sit in wheelchairs a lot have low leg strength; the wheelchairs aren&amp;#x27;t usually causing it.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>anon291</author><text>They should have done a similar test on people during COVID and compared against their past result.</text></comment>