Supportive conversations can boost your brain health, say scientists

A good heart-to-heart conversation with your best friend can take care of all sullen moods. And it seems like the benefits of supportive communication do not end there.

Researchers from New York University (NYU) have discovered in a study that having someone to listen to you when you need to talk can lead to greater cognitive resilience. This resilience is a measure of your brain's ability to function better than would be expected for the level of physical ageing or disease-driven changes in the brain.

Essentially, holistic social interactions in adulthood can help counter ageing-related cognitive decline and even stave off neuropathological changes such as those common in Alzheimer's disease.

Published in JAMA Network Open, the study found that having a good listener made a positive difference of four years for people in their 40s and 50s. The study analysed self-reported data from 2,171 participants, with an average age of 63.

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While the research does not clarify the biological logic behind the power of good listening, the findings make a definitive case for seeking good listeners in our lives and becoming better listeners ourselves.