The Longitudinal Relationship Between Engagement in Various Activities and Cognitive Functioning

Abstract

Recent studies indicate that engaging in more diverse activities is related to higher cognitive functioning. Questions remain, however, regarding whether activity variety within different domains is important. We examined how overall activity variety across domains, as well as variety within cognitive, physical, and social domains are related to cognitive functioning. Data were drawn from Waves 2-3 of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS). In cross-sectional analyses (N = 3349), activity variety overall and within each domain were positively related to cognitive functioning regardless of activity frequency. In longitudinal analyses (n = 2054), participants with consistently higher activity variety overall and within the social domain over time (vs. those with consistently low or decreasing activity variety) exhibited better cognitive functioning at W3 after adjusting for cognitive functioning at W2. Findings suggest that engaging in a variety of activities that involve multiple cognitive processes might be beneficial for cognitive health.