Volunteering in one's free time is beneficial: it strengthens cohesion in a club, helps the environment, and supports the elderly, for example. What had so far been scientifically hardly researched was the health benefits for the volunteers themselves. A research team from FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and the Bavarian Digital Dementia Register (digiDEM Bayern) has now found: Volunteer work can have a positive impact on the cognitive performance of volunteers.
Estimates suggest that more than one billion people worldwide engage in volunteer work. Scientists have already found that volunteering affects different levels of cognitive, social, and physical activation. For instance, a volunteer referee must speak with the soccer players, remember the soccer rules, follow the course of the game, and „think along“ – and finally, be physically fit to actively run alongside on the field.
Reduce risk factors
Using the example of dementia, the research team led by Anne Keefer shows how volunteering can affect the health of the volunteer. This is because various risk factors contribute to the development of dementia. These include changeable factors such as low education, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, and diabetes. „Volunteering is a promising approach to reducing three important risk factors: social isolation, physical inactivity, and depression,“ says Anne Keefer, a research associate in the Digital Dementia Registry Bavaria (digiDEM Bavaria) project. „Because volunteer work not only promotes social contact, but often keeps volunteers physically active and can have a positive impact on their mood.“
Systematic literature review
In their systematic review, the researchers analyzed a total of 14 studies published between 2017 and 2021 in the USA, Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, England, England/Scotland, New Zealand, China, and Japan. The aim of the review was to investigate the connections between volunteering and the brain performance (so-called cognitive health) of volunteers and to identify influencing factors such as gender, education, and frequency of volunteer engagement.
„Nine of these studies reported a positive association between volunteering and brain functions such as thinking, perception, attention, and language ability,“ explains Anne Keefer. However, regarding the frequency of volunteering, the studies show contradictory results. „It remains unclear whether the „more is better“ principle has a significant impact on the cognition of volunteers,“ emphasizes Prof. Dr. med. Peter Kolominsky-Rabas, co-author, neurologist, and project manager of digiDEM Bavaria. More frequent voluntary engagement seems to have a more positive effect on cognitive health. However, other study results suggest that it is important to be involved in volunteering in general, regardless of how often one engages for others.
Who benefits most from volunteering
The research also revealed that women, in particular, benefit from volunteering in terms of cognitive health. This is significant with regard to dementia, as women are more frequently affected by dementia than men. Therefore, women can benefit to a greater extent from volunteer work in terms of health.
Volunteering could also be of greater benefit to another group of people. Two of the 14 studies examined showed that people with a lower level of education benefited more than those with a higher level of education. Since people with a lower level of education have an increased risk of dementia, volunteering could prevent or delay the risk of developing cognitive deficits and dementia.
The average age of participants in the analyzed studies ranged from 61 to 74 years. Therefore, the results concerning positive associations between volunteer work and cognition are limited to this age group. Lead author Anne Keefer states: „Our study results suggest that volunteer work can improve volunteers“ cognitive abilities. However, taken together, the study results are not consistent enough to make a definitive statement."
Enrichment for society
Nevertheless, the study's authors arrive at a fundamental insight that enriches society: „Volunteering should be promoted more strongly, as it is not only beneficial for society but can also improve an individual's cognitive abilities.“ People who are already suffering from dementia, for example, would be supported in their daily lives, allowing them to stay at home longer.
On the other hand, volunteers can improve their own cognitive abilities through their commitment to people with dementia and thus delay the decline of their own mental performance. Caregivers and relatives can also experience a positive effect, as they are relieved. „So we are talking about a classic win-win situation,“ summarizes co-author Prof. Dr. med. Peter Kolominsky-Rabas.
The study is in Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare published. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S404880. Here is the study.
Anne Keefer, Kathrin Steichele, Elmar Graessel, Hans-Ulrich Prokosch, Peter L Kolominsky-Rabas: Does Voluntary Work Contribute to Cognitive Performance? – An International Systematic Review
