Hearing loss isn’t just a problem for your ears—it can deeply affect your social life, emotional health, and even memory.
A new study from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has found that hearing loss can make memory decline happen faster, especially for people who feel lonely.
The findings are based on information from 33,000 older adults in Europe and were published in the journal Communications Psychology.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that by 2050, about 2.5 billion people will have some form of hearing loss. Among people over 60 years old, more than one in four have serious hearing problems.
Besides making conversations hard and causing people to feel left out, hearing loss has also been linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline, which means problems with thinking and memory. That risk can be two to three times higher for people with hearing issues.
To better understand this connection, researchers at UNIGE looked at both hearing loss and how lonely people feel. They wanted to see how these two things work together to affect memory in older adults. Most past studies looked at either hearing loss or loneliness alone, but not both at the same time.
The study used data from the SHARE project (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe), which began in 2002. It covers the health and aging experiences of Europeans over 50 years old.
The researchers used responses from 33,000 people in 12 countries, including Switzerland. These participants answered surveys every two years and took memory tests as part of the study.
The team found that people could be sorted into three main groups:
1. Those who were socially isolated and felt lonely.
2. Those who were not isolated but still felt lonely.
3. Those who were isolated but didn’t feel lonely.
What stood out most was that people who didn’t seem socially isolated—meaning they had connections and saw people—but still felt lonely had the worst outcomes when they also had hearing loss.
Their memory problems got worse faster than in other groups. Researchers believe that feeling lonely may make it harder for people to deal with the challenges of hearing loss, which may lead to pulling back from social activities, making things worse over time.
The study shows how important it is to treat hearing loss early and also support people emotionally. Just using a hearing aid or getting simple help to hear better could make a big difference for people who are feeling lonely.
These people are already part of social groups, so helping them hear better might be all they need to stay connected and protect their memory.
This research sends a strong message: taking care of your hearing and your emotional wellbeing can go hand in hand in keeping your mind sharp as you get older.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about Scientists find connection between fungus and Alzheimer’s disease and findings of Scientists find links between COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s disease.
For more about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about Research shows root cause of Alzheimer’s disease and new treatment and findings of Scientists find the link between eye disease glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease.
The study is published in Communications Psychology.
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