(Neuroscience News) A new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and the Robert Butler Columbia Aging Center and Université Paris-Dauphine—PSL, found that having three or more versus two children has a negative effect on late-life cognition.
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The results further indicated that this effect was strongest in Northern Europe, where higher fertility decreases financial resources but does not improve social resources in this region. This is the first to study the causal effect of high fertility on late-life cognition.
Until now fertility has not received much attention as a potential predictor of late-life cognition compared with other factors, such as education or occupation.
The findings are published in the journal Demography.
“Understanding the factors that contribute to optimal late-life cognition is essential for ensuring successful aging at the individual and societal levels—particularly in Europe, where family sizes have shrunk and populations are aging rapidly,” said Vegard Skirbekk, Ph.D., professor of population and Family health at Columbia Mailman School.
“For individuals, late life cognitive health is essential for maintaining independence and being socially active and productive in late life. For societies, ensuring the cognitive health of the older population is essential for extending work lives and reducing health care costs and care needs,” said Eric Bonsang, Ph.D., professor of economics at the Université Paris-Dauphine—PSL.
The researchers analyzed data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to examine the extent to which having three or more children versus two children causally affects late-life cognition.
SHARE surveys representative samples of the older populations in 20 European countries and Israel including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Participants were aged 65 or older who had at least two biological children.
Based on advanced econometric methods able disentangle causality from simple associations, the evidence suggests that that having three or more versus two children is related to worse late-life cognition. They also found that this effect is similar for both men and women.
Fertility may affect late-life cognition via several pathways. First, having an additional child often incurs considerable financial costs, reduces family income and increases the likelihood of falling below the poverty line, thus decreasing the standard of living for all family members and possibly causing financial worries and uncertainties, which could contribute to cognitive deterioration.
Second, having an additional child is causally related to women’s lower labor market participation, fewer hours worked, and lower earnings. In turn, labor force participation—compared with retirement—positively affects cognitive functioning among men and women.
Third, having children decreases the risk of social isolation among older individuals which is a key risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia, and often raises the level of social interaction and support, which can be protective against cognitive decline at older ages.
Finally, having children can be stressful, affect health risk behaviors and adversely affect adult cognitive development. Parents with more children can experience more stress, have less time to relax and invest in cognitively stimulating leisure activities. This can imply sleep deprivation for the parent.
“The negative effect of having three or more children on cognitive functioning is not negligible, it is equivalent to 6.2 years of aging,” noted Bonsang. It suggests that the decrease in the proportion of Europeans having three or more children may have positive implications for the cognitive health of the older population.
“Given the magnitude of the effect, future studies on late-life cognition should also examine fertility as a prognosticator alongside more commonly researched predictors, such as education, occupational experiences, physical exercise, and mental and physical health,” observed Skirbekk.
“In addition, future studies should address the potential effects of childlessness or having one child on late-life cognition. We also need more information on the types of interactions, supports, and conflicts that occur between parents and children, which may influence cognitive outcomes.”
About this cognition research news
Abstract
Does Childbearing Affect Cognitive Health in Later Life? Evidence From an Instrumental Variable Approach
Cognitive decline is a widespread concern as populations grow older. However, population aging is partly driven by a decrease in fertility, and family size may influence cognitive functioning in later life. Prior studies have shown that fertility history is associated with late-life cognition, but whether the relationship is causal remains unclear.
We use an instrumental variable approach and data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe to examine whether having three or more versus two children affects late-life cognition.
Parents often prefer to have at least one son and one daughter. We thus exploit the sex composition of the first two children as a source of exogenous variation in the probability of having three or more children.
Results indicate that having three or more versus two children has a negative effect on late-life cognition. This effect is strongest in Northern Europe, perhaps because higher fertility decreases financial resources yet does not improve social resources in this region.
Future studies should address the potential effects of childlessness or having one child on late-life cognition and explore the mediating mechanisms.
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Hello yellow Europeans, remember to hav fewer children! Reproducing is bad for your health!
*fellow, not yellow, lmao
Funny, my brother would always answer the phone saying “Yellow…” People never heard it. Carries better than hello
Jokes aside, if having multiple children has a negative effect on late life cognition as this article suggest, it’s probably due to higher overall levels of stress and consistent sleep deprivation.
There’s probably a way to counteract that as a parent, but I haven’t discovered it yet.
That being said, first world countries are being overwhelmed with replacement migration specifically because the majority ethnic populations aren’t reproducing due to consistent propaganda and a steady source of food to keep their bellies full. That and the wars that took out many of the strong male bloodlines over the last century.
It’s an interesting hypothesis and theory. It does not take into account spirituality, the individual parents ability to effectively parent their children or other critical factors of the parents. These “studies” seem to throw wrenches in strange theories without considering 100’s of other factors in the parents lives such as diet, quality of healthcare, mental stability, pharmaceutical medication use, ability to organize their lives, views on personal education, government changes to resources, etc..
Perhaps they could generate a theory as to why adults who choose not to be parents appear immature to their parental counterparts. The women in my world tend to stay self centered girls as they age. It’s an interesting observation. Creating and taking care of another human until adulthood and beyond shows a tremendous commitment to the human race.. it takes stamina, determination and love beyond comprehension. I don’t believe those who elect not to have children, really truly understand the commitment., as I don’t believe this theory above to be the statement it’s trying to convey. Sounds more like population control propaganda.
This study comes at such a convenient time for the globalists. It’s basically encouraging people to have fewer children, decreasing population – their goal. Also, I couldn’t tell if the study was about the parents later in life after having three or more children, or the children when they were older.