It might not seem like it at the time if the grandkids are making a ruckus. But babysitting them might be good for Grandma and Grandpa’s brains.
A recent study in the journal Psychology and Aging suggested that grandparents’ memory, verbal fluency and other cognitive skills were fortified by the caregiving of their grandkids.
Scientists tracked 2,900 English grandparents over a five-year study to see how caring for grandkids affected cognition. They found that grandmothers also experienced slower cognitive decline.
Grandfathers also enjoy cognitive benefits from interacting with their grandchildren. However, results showed no slowing of cognitive decline compared with men who didn’t babysit.
The differences between sexes are probably tied to gender roles. Grandmothers provide a more direct caregiving role, including meal preparation and planning. Researchers suggest that grandfathers play a more supportive role alongside their spouse.
The study also notes that when one grandparent performed all caregiving duties, it was most usually a grandmother.
Researchers believe that how often one cares for the grandkids isn’t a big factor. Just because someone is frequently tending to them, for example, doesn’t mean the quality of the interaction is the same. And higher-quality activities, like helping a child with their homework, make a greater cognitive difference than, say, watching television with them.
Playing with a child is another activity that appears to supercharge the cognitive effect, along with helping with homework.
Grandparents need not think of visiting their grandkids as babysitting. They’re actually exercising their brains.
