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Stressful relationships related to cognitive decline. Stressful relationships can take an enormous toll on the mental health and well-being of both members of a couple. But new research has found that those relationships may be affecting your brain’s ability to function as well. “Participants who reported more negative aspects of close relationships also tended to have more rapid cognitive aging, based on the periodic testing. Negative aspects of close relationships refer to unpleasant social exchanges when the recipient finds the relationship ineffective, intrusive or over-controlling.” The testing looked at both how well participants remembered words and how easily they could use the language they knew. “For people in the top-third of reported negative relationship aspects, compared to those in the bottom third, the extra decline was equivalent to an added year of aging, the researchers found. People who reported the most negative aspects of close relationships were also more likely to have symptoms of depression and diabetes than others.” The researchers say that while the effect is small, it still provides insight into how the circumstances of our lives affect the decline of our brain as we age.
