Education, intellectually stimulating work, and an active lifestyle help preserve cognitive abilities in adults over 65, leading to more effective verbal expression and stronger cognitive performance. But there is another important factor: emotions. The way we recognize and interpret them can significantly influence the efficiency of cognitive processes as we age.
These findings emerge from two new studies conducted by the laboratory of Professor Raffaella Rumiati at SISSA, recently published in Neuropsychology and BrainSciences. The researchers examined how a group of adults over the age of 65 performed on various tasks to identify factors that help preserve cognitive function later in life.
The first authors of the two studies, Elisabetta Pisanu and Stefania Lucia, focused in particular on the role of cognitive reserve, the set of mental resources accumulated throughout life through education, professional experience, and intellectually engaging leisure activities. The first study found that individuals with greater cognitive reserve performed better in language tasks, showing a greater ability to express themselves and retrieve the right words. Positive emotions also contributed to better language performance.
The second study showed that cognitive reserve also plays a key role in supporting working memory—the ability to temporarily retain, process, and use information to complete a task. Emotions also influence these cognitive processes: they not only improve performance, but also shape the way we respond to different stimuli. In particular, higher emotional intelligence, i.e. the ability to recognize, understand, and use emotions to guide thinking, behaviour, and relationships, was found to significantly influence participants' responses to emotional stimuli.
Overall, the findings confirm that an intellectually stimulating life helps preserve cognitive function as we grow older. They also suggest that cognitive and emotional resources do not operate independently but work together to support healthier and more efficient cognitive ageing.
Both studies were carried out as part of Age-It: Ageing Well in an Ageing Society, a major Italian research programme investigating the challenges and opportunities associated with population ageing.