It May Take a Village: Purdue Research Links Neighborhoods to Slower Cognitive Decline
It turns out that where you live may be just as important for your brain as what you eat or how often you exercise. New research from Purdue University suggests that living in a cognitively stimulating neighborhood full of cultural, educational, and social opportunities can help older adults maintain their cognitive health well into later life.
For Dr. Kenneth F. Ferraro, distinguished professor of sociology and founding director of Purdue’s Center on Aging and the Life Course (CALC), the discovery is the latest chapter in his decades-long study of aging and human resilience.
“For years, scholars have studied how negative neighborhood attributes, such as crime or poverty, relate to health,” Ferraro said. “Knowing that cognitive decline is a significant risk to independent living in later life, our goal was to identify what features of the neighborhood or where one resides is related to better cognition.”
Ferraro and his research assistant, Bing Han, PhD candidate, analyzed eight years of data to understand how the places people live influence cognitive decline. They linked data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of older adults, with the National Neighborhood Data Archive.
Their findings, published in Innovation in Aging, show that older adults living in cognitively stimulating neighborhoods — areas with nearby libraries, museums, performing arts centers, parks, and a high percentage of college-educated residents — were less likely to experience steep cognitive decline. Ferraro refers to this type of environment as having high “cognitive capital”—a social and spatial network that builds mental resilience through interaction, access, and engagement.
“Cognitive capital refers to the networks and amenities that foster thought, reflection, and well-being,” Ferraro explained. “These are communities that help people learn new things and appreciate old things. And the remarkable part is that people may reap the benefits without even being aware that their neighborhoods are helping them stay sharp.”
Han’s analysis also revealed a key insight: age matters.
“We also found that the beneficial effect of living in a cognitively stimulating neighborhood was observed only for people 60 to 82 years old. There was no beneficial effect on cognitive function after age 82,” said Han. “We think of this as the 60-80 window for intervention.”
Ferraro likens this process to exercising a muscle.
“The brain is an organ but, like muscle, it needs regular workouts, including some challenging mental tasks. A lifetime of active mental stimulation develops cognitive reserve, the brain’s ability to adapt to change and solve problems,” he said. “Our study is important because it reveals that people living in cognitively stimulating neighborhoods are better able to retain their cognitive function.”
The study also underscores that maintaining cognition isn’t solely about individual effort. While activities like reading, playing strategy games, or dancing can strengthen the mind, Ferraro argues that community design plays a critical role too.
“Most social science research focuses on the individual,” he said. “We need more research on how neighborhoods help people optimize their cognitive function.”
Ferraro’s broader research on optimal aging emphasizes the balance of individual and environmental factors. This effort to keep people functional both physically and cognitively is what he refers to as “dual functionality.”
“People aspire to live long lives if they can keep their physical and mental ability,” he said. “This research shows that the communities we build and the amenities we support can make that possible.”
For Ferraro, the findings offer both a challenge and an opportunity: to design communities that support healthy aging for all. Whether it’s a park, a walking trail, or a community arts center, those neighborhood amenities may be doing more than we realize to keep our minds alive and well.