Men more inclined to memory problems

Men face memory loss earlier than women

When it comes to remembering things, men are more likely than women to become dotty and forgetful in old age, according to a study presented to the American Academy of Neurology, Chicago.

The study found that men were 1.67 times more likely to have such impairment, problems with memory and thinking skills, than women. The finding remained the same regardless of a man’s education or marital status.

I suspect that this has a lot to do with the fact that women maintain their social networks into old age better than men. After retirement, men’s interaction with other people can drop off significantly.

Given that a very large part of our brain power is devoted to negotiating social relationships, this isolation likely has an atrophying affect on the brain.

As an aside, men also seem to show a lifelong quirky tendancy to forget where they put things.