A new study has found that financial difficulties can take a toll on the brain and cause it to age prematurely.
The study, conducted by a research team from University College London, showed that people who experience financial problems or declining income early in adulthood tend to experience a decline in cognitive abilities by the age of 53.
Published in the scientific journal Innovation in Aging, which specializes in aging-related research, the study revealed through brain scans of participants that a lifetime of financial hardship affects brain function and may even lead to a reduction in brain volume between the ages of 69 and 71.
Researcher Jack Wells, one of the study’s contributors, said: “This study examined several decades to understand the impact of accumulated financial difficulties over many years and their relationship with cognitive brain functions, rather than measuring them only during periods of severe financial stress.”
The study analyzed data from around 2,800 British citizens born in 1946. Researchers asked participants about their financial circumstances at ages 26, 43, and 53, including whether they struggled to meet their financial obligations at those ages.
The findings showed that lower income and financial difficulties were linked to reduced ability to process information and declining verbal memory by the age of 53.
The study also found that men were more affected by financial problems than women.
Researchers attributed this difference to the fact that men from that generation were raised in a period when the man was typically considered the head of the household and responsible for supporting the entire family.
The study, conducted by a research team from University College London, showed that people who experience financial problems or declining income early in adulthood tend to experience a decline in cognitive abilities by the age of 53.
Published in the scientific journal Innovation in Aging, which specializes in aging-related research, the study revealed through brain scans of participants that a lifetime of financial hardship affects brain function and may even lead to a reduction in brain volume between the ages of 69 and 71.
Researcher Jack Wells, one of the study’s contributors, said: “This study examined several decades to understand the impact of accumulated financial difficulties over many years and their relationship with cognitive brain functions, rather than measuring them only during periods of severe financial stress.”
The study analyzed data from around 2,800 British citizens born in 1946. Researchers asked participants about their financial circumstances at ages 26, 43, and 53, including whether they struggled to meet their financial obligations at those ages.
The findings showed that lower income and financial difficulties were linked to reduced ability to process information and declining verbal memory by the age of 53.
The study also found that men were more affected by financial problems than women.
Researchers attributed this difference to the fact that men from that generation were raised in a period when the man was typically considered the head of the household and responsible for supporting the entire family.
