Emotionally healthy relationships are essential for maintaining strong cognition as we age. They promote positive feelings, lower stress, and reduce the risk of developing dementia.
Building relationships is critical for our emotional and cognitive health, but the percentage of U.S. adults who report not having any close friends has quadrupled since 1990. Living in North Richland Hills can help you avoid this trend. Southern hospitality and a small-town feel make it easier to meet your neighbors here.
Supporting brain health through bonding is more than a slogan. It can become a way of life.
Emotionally healthy relationships support positive emotions and contribute to your overall well-being. They're based on:
Senior friendships will be different than relationships with a romantic partner, but all healthy relationships have several key features.
Good communication is the foundation of all the characteristics of a healthy relationship. You can express emotions and resolve problems. Communication creates an environment for emotional support where each person strengthens the other.
Respect is a cornerstone of emotionally healthy relationships. This includes respect for personal boundaries so that no one feels pressured to do something that would go against their values or make them uncomfortable. Boundaries help protect each person's identity, but should also allow room to grow.
People in a healthy relationship respect what the other person thinks is important. You may not agree, but you understand how they feel.
Both people in the relationship should feel like the other person is as committed as they are. If you feel like you're bearing more weight, talk to the other person about it. Each person in an emotionally healthy relationship is comfortable with what the other is contributing to the relationship.
Your contribution may shift over time as life circumstances shift. One person puts more in when the other can't.
Kindness and empathy are rooted in respect. Being treated kindly makes you feel safe and supported. Signs of kindness include actively listening, apologizing when necessary, and tempering anger.
Empathy means understanding what the other person feels and imagining what it would be like from their perspective. Empathy is closely related to kindness. It creates the foundation for trust and mutual connection.
Trust is an essential part of an emotionally healthy relationship. When trust is present, both people feel safe in being their true selves. You know you can count on the other person to be there for you when you need them.
Cognitive processes are the mental functions that help us perceive, reason, remember, and learn. Cognition develops through past experiences, thoughts, and senses.
Emotions influence cognitive processing in several ways. Emotionally healthy relationships foster positive emotions, making them an important part of supporting cognition.
Emotions affect attention and perception. Incoming information that is emotionally charged, either positively or negatively, captures our attention first. This is called attentional bias, and it helps the brain prioritize stimuli.
Emotions play a role in memory and how we interpret memories. We remember emotionally-charged events more vividly and accurately than neutral events. This is called emotional memory enhancement.
Emotions are a key part of the decision-making process. Without the motivation that comes from emotions, people would be more likely to remain passive and fail to act. Positive emotions can point you toward the choice that aligns best with your values.
Emotions should be balanced with rational consideration for the most beneficial decision-making.
Healthy relationships support good cognitive health in several ways. Social activity and positive emotions support healthy brain function.
Strong social networks and participating regularly in social activities lower your risk of developing cognitive impairment or dementia. A study in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia found that seniors who regularly participated in social activities like visiting friends, attending church, or playing bingo developed cognitive impairment an average of five years later than seniors who were less socially active. This is just one example of the connection between social wellness and memory.
Social activities require you to use your brain more than almost anything else. Meeting new people means you encounter ideas and situations that cause you to think in different ways. Socializing is one of the best dementia prevention habits you can develop.
Positive relationships make us feel better. They lower our stress level, reducing a risk factor for cognitive decline. Positive emotions like happiness make performing complex cognitive tasks easier.
Social activity can improve mood and lower anxiety. People with strong social networks are less likely to be depressed.
Social activities often involve learning a new task or skill. This helps the brain stay flexible, which can protect against dementia and maintain cognitive health.
Research has demonstrated that negative emotions like sadness, anxiety, and hopelessness make performing complex tasks more difficult. The more strongly negative the emotion, the more it impacts cognition. Stress also makes learning and forming memories harder.
Signs of an unhealthy relationship include:
These signs may not be obvious. Depending on the severity of the issues, improving the relationship may be possible if both people are invested.
Emotionally healthy relationships are essential for your cognitive well-being. They promote positive emotions and lower risk factors for dementia. The importance of emotional connection for aging can hardly be overstated.
At Morada North Richland Hills assisted living community, developing healthy relationships is a priority. Our calendar features a variety of activities where you can socialize with friends and meet new neighbors who share your interests. You can take advantage of casual opportunities to build connections in our lounge, library, and dining room.
Our staff work to build relationships with each resident so residents feel valued and respected. Schedule a tour of Morada North Richland Hills to see how relationships can make a difference.