Positive Effect is Associated with Healthier Aging and Less Memory Loss

Written by Joyce Smith, BS. Researchers found an association between positive affect (PA) and less memory decline across a 9-year time frame after controlling for age, gender, education, depression, negative affect, and extraversion.

Past research has defined PA as a subjective experience of pleasant affective states, such as enthusiasm or joy that may extend over shorter and longer time intervals ^1,2 and cautions against confusing PA with “negative effect” (as evidenced in the  work of Watson et al 1999 ²) or other subjective aspects of well-being ³. Compared to negative attitudes, PA may benefit memory through several pathways including physiological, behavioral, and social channels⁴ as evidenced by faster cardiovascular recovery, better immune functioning, increased physical activity and improved social relationships. Studies have shown that in cardiac patients higher PA was associated with better physical activity, sleep quality, medication adherence and nonsmoking ⁵. PA has also supported immune functioning where smaller plasma fibrinogen stress responses were associated with happier individuals ⁶, and contributed to more adaptive cardiovascular functioning  where positive emotions led to faster recovery from the negative emotional effects of cardiovascular problems ⁷.

The present study’s objective ⁸ was to determine a potential association between PA (such as feeling enthusiastic, proud, being motivated and active within the last thirty days) and memory function which included both immediate and delayed memory recall. The Hittner research team hypothesized that compared to baseline memory, higher levels of positive affect would be associated with higher levels of memory nine years later, thus validating the ability of PA to curtail memory loss over time.

The team analyzed 18-year longitudinal data on 991 middle-aged and older U.S. adults who participated in the national Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Conducted during three different time frames of 1995 to 1996 (Time 1), 2004 to 2006 (Time 2), and2013 to 2014 (Time 3), the study spanned a 9-year time interval between the second and third time frames. At each assessment, participants reported on a range of positive emotions they had experienced during the past 30 days. In the final two assessments, they completed memory performance tests that consisted of recalling words immediately after their presentation and again 15 minutes later. At Time 1, participants (n=7,120) reported on their positive affect, 9 years later at Time 2, 75% of the Time 1 sample (n = 4,955) reported, and again at Time 3, (9 years later), 77% (n = 3,294) of the Time 2 sample reported. Everyone who reported completed the memory assessment.

After accounting for variables such as age, gender, education, depression, negative affect, and extraversion, data analysis found that memory did indeed decline with age (β = 0.09, p = .004; and remained stable when controlling for five personality traits (β = 0.08, p = .009). However, participants who reported higher levels of PA demonstrated a slower rate of memory decline during the 9 year time frame. A final multiverse analysis was done to validate that the association remained across age, gender, and education levels. Also, reverse analyses testing whether memory was associated with changes in PA were not significant. These findings align with previous studies that have linked PA with cognitive ability and memory ⁹ and additionally add a layer of credibility through the use of two highly sensitive and widely used measures for recalling tasks ¹⁰. Based on these study results, identifying older adult populations at risk for memory decline and promoting and providing them with physical activities and other PA interventions that might help to slow down their memory decline would be a beneficial endeavor for society as a whole. Therefore, future research focusing on the investigation of pathways that might potentially link physical health changes and social relationships with memory are imperative in propelling forward this important area of research.

Source: Hittner, Emily F., Jacquelyn E. Stephens, Nicholas A. Turiano, Denis Gerstorf, Margie E. Lachman, and Claudia M. Haase. “Positive Affect Is Associated With Less Memory Decline: Evidence From a 9-Year Longitudinal Study.” Psychological Science (2020): 0956797620953883.

© The Author(s) 2020

Posted December 7, 2020.

Joyce Smith, BS, is a degreed laboratory technologist. She received her bachelor of arts with a major in Chemistry and a minor in Biology from  the University of Saskatchewan and her internship through the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine and the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She currently resides in Bloomingdale, IL.

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