Cognitive leisure activities

3 papers2 findings

C, W, M, H: cells, worms or flies, mice, humans. Dark: independent labs found the same change there. Light: one lab or one study. Outline: nothing yet.

Labs are independent when their papers share no last author and no institution.

Against: findings that point the other way from most findings on the same outcome.

On aging: the drug’s trials ARN judged to be about aging, of every trial that tests it for any use.

No results posted: trials that ended more than a year ago with no results on ClinicalTrials.gov and no paper in ARN’s record.

Company ties: findings with an author at a company, or from a paper whose competing-interests statement declares ties to one.

2 independent labs in 1 country

Humans3

Associations

Intrinsic capacity decline

downin humans1OR 0.48

1 study

Cognitive leisure activities lower the risk of intrinsic capacity decline in humans (OR 0.480, p < 0.001).
“Higher levels of CLA were similarly associated with reduced odds of these trajectories (ORs = 0.480, 0.696, and 0.631; all p < 0.001).”
Humansless favorable trajectories vs. high-level stablen = 3,922
Socioeconomic status and intrinsic capacity trajectories among middle-aged and older adults in China: mediating role of cognitive leisure activities
The journal of nutrition, health & aging21 Feb 2026

Cognitive impairment

downin humans1OR 0.42

1 study

Cognitive leisure activities lower the risk of cognitive impairment in humans (OR = 0.42).
“the risk of cognitive impairment was significantly reduced by high participation in cognitive (OR=0.42) and physical (OR=0.71) leisure activities”
Humansin older cohort born before 1948
COLLEGE EDUCATION AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES PREDICT LATE-LIFE COGNITIVE STATUS: DO BIRTH COHORTS DIFFER?
GSA 2024 abstract31 Dec 2024