ArticleThe Gerontologist2025
Social Activities and Cognitive Functioning Across Mid- and Late Life: Evidence From China.
Article in The Gerontologist, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- A technology-blended exercise intervention for cognitive risk reduction and brain health in middle-aged and older adults with type 2 diabetes in Singapore: a mixed-methods study.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2026Trial
- The divergent roles of childhood literacy and food availability in cognitive aging: evidence from two Chinese longitudinal datasets.The Gerontologist · 2026Observational
- Diurnal temperature range and daily mean temperature in relation to multimorbidity among middle-aged or older Chinese adults: insights from the CHARLS.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Number of living siblings, social engagement, and cognitive decline among older Mexican adults.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2026Observational
- Cognitive labor and the older learner: a feminist perspective on intellectual work in later life.The Gerontologist · 2026Article
- Medical Coping as a Mediator Between Social Support and Illness Uncertainty in Cancer Patients Across Age Groups: A Mediation Analysis.Patient preference and adherence · 2026Article
- Relationship between hemoglobin glycation index and mild cognitive impairment risk in middle-aged and elderly people: a cohort study from CHARLS 2011-2018.Frontiers in neurologyArticle
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesSocial engagement is positively associated with cognitive health, yet the role of these activities across the lifespan and in different contexts remains underexplored. This study investigates the association between social activities and two domains of cognitive functioning among middle-aged and older Chinese individuals, a population with the highest number of dementia cases in the world. We pay particular attention to the unique role of activities in midlife on cognitive decline in the later years. RESEARCH DESIGN AND
methodsUsing longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2018), we conducted mixed-effects linear models to determine the intra- and interindividual variation on the relationship between social activity and cognitive functioning (N = 26,622 observations nested within 8,089 individuals).
resultsAcross domains (episodic memory, mental intactness, and total cognition), more social activities in a given year are associated with increased cognitive functioning, independent of age. Independent of these within-individual changes, participation in social activities in midlife predicts better cognitive function across mid- and later life across all domains, controlling for childhood adversities, friendship, and self-rated health. However, midlife social activities do not significantly predict a slower rate of cognitive decline. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Midlife social engagement has a lasting association with cognitive health in later life, yet it is important to recognize that changes occurring throughout both midlife and later life are associated with changes in cognition. This highlights the potential for modification and improvement during this period in the lifespan for aging Chinese.
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