Chatting 'good for the brain'

Children should learn social skills early, says an expert

Talking with friends could help keep the mind sharp, suggests a study of more than 3,000 adults.

Researchers at the University of Michigan believe that socialising "exercises" the mind in the same way as reading and doing crosswords - which have already been recommended for the elderly.

In the first study, scientists interviewed 3,617 people between the ages of 24 and 96, and asked them how often they talked on the telephone with friends and relatives, or got together with them.

To some extent, the human mind evolved to deal with social problems, so it's not surprising that exercising that aspect of our minds has downstream benefits

Oscar Ybarra, University of Michigan

They also gave them a series of mental tests to check their brainpower and memory.

They found that, regardless of age, those who were more "socially engaged" fared better.

Psychologist Oscar Ybarra, who led the research, said: "As the population ages, interest has been growing about how to maintain healthy brains and minds.

"Most advice for preserving and enhancing mental function emphasises intellectual activities such as reading, doing crossword puzzles, and learning how to use a computer.

"But my research suggests that just getting together and chatting with friends and family may also be effective."

Older folk

He said: "The more socially engaged participants were, the lower their level of cognitive impairment and the better their working memory performance."

In separate research, Ybarra looked at almost 2,000 older people in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia.

Again, the more social engaged among them tended to be mentally sharper than those who did not often socialise or chat with friends.

He said: "To some extent, the human mind evolved to deal with social problems, so it's not surprising that exercising that aspect of our minds has downstream benefits.

"In fact, it may be that our technical prowess depends on our social intelligence."

He suggested that children should be encouraged to develop their social skills at an early age - as this might help them keep their faculties later in life.