Could helping other people be linked to a younger-appearing brain? 🧠

A new study in Translational Psychiatry examined 194 adults and found that people who reported providing more social support tended to have lower BrainAGE values—meaning their MRI-estimated brain age was younger relative to their chronological age.

The researchers found the association remained significant after accounting for multiple health, demographic and lifestyle factors. Emotional support showed a particularly notable association in an exploratory analysis.

But there is an important caveat: the study does not prove that helping others slows or reverses brain aging. The research was observational, so the direction and causes of the relationship remain uncertain.

The findings offer an intriguing new avenue for understanding how social relationships and prosocial behavior may relate to healthy brain aging.