Memory complaints from people who notice they are becoming more forgetful are a growing public health concern, partly because such complaints may be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease. Research has shown that stress can increase memory complaints. This study investigated whether the stress of experiencing discrimination influences how often people experience forgetfulness, as well as whether positive and negative emotions play a role in such linkages.
Researchers used data from 782 MIDUS participants, aged 20-75. Over an 8-day period, participants provided daily telephone reports about:
- Memory complaints– how many instances of forgetfulness they experienced each day, such as forgetting a word, a name, where they put something, or why they entered a room.
- Emotions– how many positive and negative emotions they felt each day, such as being upset and angry or cheerful and proud.
- Daily discrimination– whether they experienced minor types of discrimination each day, such as being treated with less courtesy or respect, being insulted or harassed, or having others assume they were dishonest.
Participants also indicated if they had ever experienced any of eleven major types of lifetime discrimination, such as being unfairly fired, denied a bank loan, or hassled by the police, based on characteristics such as race, age, gender, physical appearance, or sexual orientation.
Results showed that:
- Participants were more likely to report memory complaints on days when they experienced more daily discrimination, especially if they also reported having very negative emotions that day, or were from a racial minority group.
- Participants were less likely to report memory complaints on days when they had more positive emotions or did not experience any daily discrimination.
- Participants who reported any lifetime discrimination were also more likely to report daily memory complaints.
Additionally, when an individual reported very negative emotions but no experience of daily discrimination, their memory complaints were only marginally worse than if they had had more positive emotions. This suggests that experiencing daily discrimination intensified the influence of negative emotions on memory problems.
These findings indicate that interventions seeking to increase positive emotions in people who have experienced discrimination may counter problems with forgetfulness. They also highlight the importance of countering discrimination and racial disparities to promote healthy aging. Future research could also consider whether daily experiences of discrimination across the lifespan, instead of over 8 days, affects memory in later life.
Source: Ly, T. K., Allen, R. S., Cundiff, J. M., & DeCaro, J. (2024). Investigating the effects of discrimination experiences on everyday metamemory accuracy. Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbae089
Read the full article at: http://www.midus.wisc.edu/findings/pdfs/2872.pdf