Risk 1
Social Isolation
Our response
The Feeling Seen Effect
To be truly seen is to be reminded we matter.
The Evidence
When the talking stops, the thinking slows. When thinking slows, talking gets harder. That loop is where dementia and isolation meet, and it is where we will respond. Below, each part of our response is matched with the research behind it, strongest first, with its limits stated transparently.
The scale of the problem
Dementia Is the Defining Health Challenge of an Aging World, and Loneliness Is Making It Worse
Somewhere in the world, a new case of dementia is diagnosed about every three seconds. That is nearly 10 million people a year, added to the 57 million already living with the condition. By 2050, that number is forecast to nearly triple, to 153 million.
Closer to home, about one in four adults over 65 is socially isolated. Isolation is not only painful. It is linked to roughly a 50% higher risk of developing dementia. Fewer conversations mean less stimulation for the mind, at the very time it needs more.
Bars start at zero. Hatching marks the forecast. Source: GBD, The Lancet Public Health, 2022 (opens in a new tab).
| Year | People |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 57 million |
| 2050 (forecast) | 153 million |
1 in 4 isolated
The hatched figure stands for the one in four. Isolation is linked to about a 50% higher risk of dementia. Source: National Academies, 2020 (opens in a new tab).
| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| Socially isolated | About 1 in 4 (24%) |
| Not socially isolated | About 3 in 4 |
Loneliness is a global problem too. About 1 in 6 people worldwide report feeling lonely, and loneliness is linked to an estimated 871,000 deaths a year.
Source: WHO Commission on Social Connection, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Up to 45% of Dementia Cases Could Be Delayed or Prevented
But the story does not end there. The 2024 Lancet Commission found that up to 45% of dementia cases could be delayed or prevented, and social isolation is one of the risks we can change.
Connection is a treatable risk factor. We treat it at the chessboard.
Three Risks We Can Change, That We Can Respond to Together
Risk 2
Cognitive Decline
Our response
The Chess Effect
64 squares. Endless possibilities. One activated mind.
Risk 3
Lost Identity
Our response
The Reminiscence Effect
The stories that make us, us, told in our own words.
How to Weigh the Evidence
A trial, a review and a long-term study each tell you something different. We label every finding with the kind of study behind it, so you can weigh it yourself with transparency.
- Randomized trial
- People are assigned by chance to a program or a comparison group. This is the strongest way to test cause and effect.
- Review
- Researchers pool the results of many trials or studies. A review is only as strong as the studies inside it, so we note when quality is low.
- Long-term or population study
- Researchers follow large groups of people, often for years. These studies show a link, not proof of cause, so we say “linked to.”
- Expert report
- A commission or national body weighs all the evidence on a question and states its conclusions.
Every source is numbered in the references at the end of this page, with a link to the original. Last reviewed October 2026; we update this page as new research is published.
Risk 1 of 3: Social Isolation
The Feeling Seen Effect
Being truly listened to is good for the brain, not just the heart.
Key finding
~50%
higher dementia risk linked to social isolation.
Expert report · National Academies, 2020 (opens in a new tab)
Social isolation is linked to about a 50% higher risk of dementia and is one of the 14 modifiable risk factors named by the 2024 Lancet Commission. Regular, meaningful contact keeps people talking, thinking and engaged, and being accurately understood by another person is associated with lower stress and a greater sense of belonging. That is why we build connection into every session on purpose, rather than leaving it to chance.
Sources: 2024 Lancet Commission (opens in a new tab); National Academies, 2020 (opens in a new tab).
What Recent Research Adds
Recent research strengthens the link between connection and brain health, and suggests that the quality of connection matters as much as the amount.
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Across 21 groups of people totaling more than 600,000, loneliness was linked to a 31% higher risk of dementia. The link held after accounting for depression and social isolation.
Review of 21 studies · Luchetti et al., Nature Mental Health, 2024 (opens in a new tab)
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People who are more socially active in mid to late life are estimated to be 30–50% less likely to develop dementia. The authors note that part of this link may not be causal.
Review of studies · Sommerlad et al., Nature Aging, 2023 (opens in a new tab)
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About 1 in 6 people worldwide report feeling lonely, and loneliness is linked to an estimated 871,000 deaths a year.
Expert report · WHO Commission on Social Connection, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
View more researchView less research
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Among 2,171 adults with an average age of 63, having someone available to listen was linked to greater cognitive resilience: better thinking for a given brain size.
Population study · Salinas et al., JAMA Network Open, 2021 (opens in a new tab)
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In more than 10,000 healthy, socially active adults over 70, the size of a person's social network alone did not predict lower dementia risk. That is why we focus on meaningful, guided connection, not simply more contact.
Long-term study · ASPREE sub-study, JAMA Network Open, 2023 (opens in a new tab)
Risk 2 of 3: Cognitive Decline
The Chess Effect
Strategic play works like interval training for the brain's planning systems.
Key finding
9–11%
lower dementia risk linked to puzzles, chess and similar activities, in 10,318 adults over 70.
Long-term study · ASPREE sub-study, JAMA Network Open, 2023 (opens in a new tab)
Chess works in bursts of intense calculation followed by recovery, loading working memory, attention, planning and flexible thinking, the executive functions that often decline first. Lifelong, demanding mental activity is associated with greater cognitive reserve: the brain's capacity to find alternative routes and keep working despite age-related change. In a study of 10,318 adults over 70, followed for about 10 years, active mental activities such as puzzles and chess were linked to a 9–11% lower risk of dementia. An earlier study of 469 adults over 75 found the same pattern for board games.
Sources: ASPREE sub-study, JAMA Network Open, 2023 (opens in a new tab); Verghese et al., NEJM, 2003 (opens in a new tab); Stern, Neuropsychologia, 2009 (opens in a new tab).
What Recent Research Adds
Trials show that structured mental training can protect thinking. The first small trials of chess itself point to benefits for mood and quality of life more than for thinking skills.
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In a 20-year trial of 2,021 adults 65 and over, five to six weeks of speed training, with boosters, was linked to a 25% lower rate of diagnosed dementia. The training was on a computer, not chess, and memory and reasoning training showed no effect.
Randomized trial · ACTIVE study, Alzheimer's & Dementia: TRCI, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
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In a small trial of 69 adults aged 55 and over with early memory concerns, 12 weekly group sessions of chess or Go improved word fluency, lowered depression in women and improved quality of life in people with mild cognitive impairment. Overall thinking scores did not change.
Randomized trial · COGniChESs study, Pozzi et al., Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
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Across trials of traditional board games in older adults, playing was linked to better scores on standard thinking tests, and chess to improved quality of life.
Review of trials · Pozzi et al., Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2023 (opens in a new tab)
View more researchView less research
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Among 1,939 older adults followed for about 8 years, those with the most mentally enriching lives had a 38% lower risk of Alzheimer's, with onset about 5 years later.
Long-term study · Zammit et al., Neurology, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
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Among 1,091 adults followed from age 70 to 79, those who played more games, such as cards, chess and crosswords, showed less decline in thinking, especially memory, even after accounting for childhood intelligence.
Long-term study · Altschul & Deary, Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2020 (opens in a new tab)
Risk 3 of 3: Lost Identity
The Reminiscence Effect
Telling your life story strengthens who you are.
Key finding
22
randomized trials and 1,972 people in the Cochrane review of reminiscence.
Review of 22 trials · Woods et al., Cochrane, 2018 (opens in a new tab)
Reminiscence, the structured recall of personal memories, is an established, non-drug approach in dementia care. A 2018 Cochrane review of 22 trials found benefits that are small and inconsistent but real in places: communication, mood and, in care homes, quality of life, with no harms reported. Long-term autobiographical memory is often among the last to fade, so recalling it draws on a person's strengths, not their losses. We call this biographical repair: rebuilding a secure narrative identity when memory feels uncertain.
Source: Woods et al., Cochrane 2018 (opens in a new tab).
What Recent Research Adds
Reviews of hundreds of trials support reminiscence for self-esteem, communication and mood, though the quality of the studies varies.
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An overview of 21 reviews, covering 246 trials and 18,177 people, found support for reminiscence improving self-esteem, communication, everyday activities and loneliness. Results for mood and thinking were mixed, and most reviews were rated low quality.
Review of 21 reviews · Jiao et al., BMC Geriatrics, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
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Across 3,361 adults aged 60 and over, life review and reminiscence had a large effect on symptoms of depression. The effect was less certain at follow-up, and many of the studies had a high risk of bias.
Review of 42 trials · Lin et al., Journal of Affective Disorders, 2024 (opens in a new tab)
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In 2,512 older adults without memory problems, narrative approaches, where people tell and reshape their own life story, did best for depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Programs lasting 8 weeks or more did better for life satisfaction.
Review of 33 trials · Lin et al., Age and Ageing, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
View more researchView less research
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In 2,650 people with cognitive decline, reminiscence improved scores on a standard thinking test, both straight away and over the longer term.
Review of 24 trials · Han et al., Neurological Sciences, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
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People with Alzheimer's recalled events from ages 6 to 30 far better than later years. Stories from early life remain a strength to build on.
Memory study · Berntsen et al., Cortex, 2022 (opens in a new tab)
Stronger Together
No cure exists yet, but there are three risks we can respond to today.
Dementia has no single cause, so we do not rely on a single activity. The 2024 Lancet Commission names 14 risks for dementia that can be changed. Social isolation and depression are two of them, and a mentally active life builds the cognitive reserve that helps protect thinking. Our program addresses all three in the same hour, at the same table.
In a two-year randomized trial of 2,111 adults aged 60 to 79, a structured, supervised program that included cognitive and social challenge improved thinking more than a self-guided version with the same goals. That program also included exercise and diet, so we do not claim its results as our own. What we take from it is a principle: combine the parts, and keep the structure consistent.
That is how our sessions are designed. Each one follows the same three parts, led in person by our facilitators.
- A real game challenges planning, memory and attention. (The Chess Effect)
- A real conversation gives every player someone who listens. (The Feeling Seen Effect)
- A real life story draws on long-term memory, a lasting strength. (The Reminiscence Effect)
Sources: 2024 Lancet Commission (opens in a new tab); US POINTER, JAMA, 2025 (opens in a new tab) (randomized trial); Stern, Neuropsychologia, 2009 (opens in a new tab).
What We Claim, and What We Don't
We want every partner and supporter of ours to be able to check our reasoning. Here is where the evidence is strong, and where it still needs further research and our support.
What the Evidence Points To
- Social isolation and loneliness are linked to a higher risk of dementia.
- A mentally active life is linked to a lower risk of dementia, and structured mental training has protected thinking in a randomized trial.
- Reminiscence can improve self-esteem, communication and mood.
What It Does Not Yet Show
- That any game can cure or prevent dementia. None can.
- That chess itself protects thinking. The first small trials found benefits for mood and quality of life, not for overall thinking.
- That chess and storytelling together work better than either alone. No study has tested this yet.
How We Will Help Close This Growing Gap
We are developing our next version of the program. We will measure it carefully, with research partners, from the start, and we will publish what we find, whatever it shows. Until then, we will not report outcomes we have not measured.
Sources: scoping review of 21 chess studies, IJERPH, 2019 (opens in a new tab); Pozzi et al., Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2023 (opens in a new tab) and 2026 (opens in a new tab).
References
All 28 sources on this page, grouped by section. Open a section to see each full citation, what the study found and a link to the publisher. Last reviewed October 2026.
The scale of the problem · 5 sources
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Reference 1: Livingston G, et al. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission. The Lancet, 2024.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
14 risk factors; up to 45% of dementia cases potentially preventable or delayed.
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Reference 2: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults. 2020.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
24% of community-dwelling adults 65+ socially isolated; about 50% higher dementia risk.
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Reference 3: World Health Organization. Dementia fact sheet.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
57 million people with dementia (2021); nearly 10 million new cases a year.
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Reference 4: GBD 2019 Dementia Forecasting Collaborators. The Lancet Public Health, 2022.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
57 million people in 2019 to a forecast 153 million by 2050.
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Reference 5: World Health Organization. From loneliness to social connection: report of the WHO Commission on Social Connection. 2025.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
About 1 in 6 people report loneliness; an estimated 871,000 deaths a year linked to it.
The Feeling Seen Effect · 3 sources
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Reference 6: Luchetti M, et al. A meta-analysis of loneliness and risk of dementia using longitudinal data from >600,000 individuals. Nature Mental Health, 2024.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
21 samples, 608,561 people: loneliness linked to 31% higher dementia risk, independent of depression and social isolation; results varied between studies.
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Reference 7: Sommerlad A, Kivimäki M, Larson EB, et al. Social participation and risk of developing dementia. Nature Aging, 2023.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
Review: more socially active people in mid to late life estimated to be 30–50% less likely to develop dementia; part of the link may not be causal.
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Reference 8: Salinas J, et al. Association of social support with brain volume and cognition. JAMA Network Open, 2021.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
2,171 Framingham adults, average age 63: having a listener available linked to greater cognitive resilience.
The Chess Effect · 10 sources
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Reference 9: Lifestyle enrichment in later life and its association with dementia risk. JAMA Network Open, 2023.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
10,318 adults 70+: puzzles, chess and similar activities linked to 9–11% lower dementia risk; social network size not linked.
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Reference 10: Verghese J, et al. Leisure activities and the risk of dementia in the elderly. New England Journal of Medicine, 2003.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
469 adults over 75, median 5.1 years: reading, board games, musical instruments and dancing linked to reduced risk.
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Reference 11: Stern Y. Cognitive reserve. Neuropsychologia, 2009.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
Reserve helps explain why brain changes and symptoms do not always match; it is built by education, occupation and leisure activity.
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Reference 12: Coe, et al. Impact of cognitive training on claims-based diagnosed dementia over 20 years: evidence from the ACTIVE study. Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, 2026.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
Randomized trial, 2,021 adults 65+: speed training with boosters linked to a 25% lower rate of diagnosed dementia over 20 years.
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Reference 13: Baker LD, et al. Structured vs self-guided multidomain lifestyle interventions for global cognitive function: the US POINTER randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 2025.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
Randomized trial, 2,111 adults aged 60–79: the structured, supervised program improved thinking more than the self-guided one.
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Reference 14: Pozzi FE, et al. Cognitive and social intervention with Go and chess in early and subjective cognitive decline: the COGniChESs study results, with an updated meta-analysis. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2026.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
Randomized trial, 69 adults 55+: improved word fluency, mood in women and quality of life in mild cognitive impairment; no change in overall thinking scores.
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Reference 15: Pozzi FE, Appollonio I, Ferrarese C, Tremolizzo L, Macpherson H. Can traditional board games prevent or slow down cognitive impairment? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2023.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
Board games linked to better scores on standard thinking tests; chess linked to better quality of life.
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Reference 16: Zammit A, et al. Lifetime cognitive enrichment and Alzheimer's disease. Neurology, 2026.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
1,939 adults, about 8 years: most enriched lives linked to 38% lower Alzheimer's risk and onset about 5 years later.
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Reference 17: Altschul DM, Deary IJ. Playing analog games is associated with reduced declines in cognitive function: a 68-year longitudinal cohort study. Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2020.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
1,091 adults followed from 70 to 79: more game playing linked to less decline in thinking, especially memory, after accounting for childhood IQ. Observational.
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Reference 18: Chess practice as a protective factor in dementia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2019.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
Scoping review of 21 studies: chess is assumed protective, but stronger studies are needed.
The Reminiscence Effect · 6 sources
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Reference 19: Woods B, et al. Reminiscence therapy for dementia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2018.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
22 trials, 1,972 people: effects inconsistent and often small, with gains in communication, mood and care-home quality of life, and no harms.
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Reference 20: Jiao Y, Huang K, Liu H, Gains H, Jia Y, Chen L. Effectiveness of reminiscence therapy on multiple health outcomes for older adults: an umbrella review. BMC Geriatrics, 2025.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
21 reviews, 246 trials, 18,177 people: supported for self-esteem, communication, everyday activities and loneliness; mixed for mood, thinking and quality of life; most reviews low quality.
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Reference 21: Lin J, Zhao R, Li H, Lei Y, Cuijpers P. Looking back on life: an updated meta-analysis of the effect of life review therapy and reminiscence on late-life depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 2024.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
42 trials, 3,361 adults 60+: large effect on depression; less certain at follow-up; many studies at high risk of bias.
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Reference 22: Lin CL, et al. Comparative effectiveness of reminiscence-based therapies on depressive symptoms and life satisfaction in older adults: a network meta-analysis. Age and Ageing, 2026.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
33 trials, 2,512 older adults without cognitive impairment: narrative approaches did best; programs of 8+ weeks did better for life satisfaction.
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Reference 23: Han, et al. Efficacy of reminiscence therapy in improving cognitive decline: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurological Sciences, 2025.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
24 trials, 2,650 people with cognitive decline: improved thinking-test scores in the short and longer term.
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Reference 24: Berntsen D, Kirk M, Kopelman MD. Autobiographical memory loss in Alzheimer's disease: the role of the reminiscence bump. Cortex, 2022.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
People with Alzheimer's recalled events from ages 6 to 30 far better than later life.
How chess engages the brain · 4 sources
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Reference 25: Williams MJ, Palace M, Welsh JC, Brooks SJ. Neural correlates of chess expertise: a systematic review of brain imaging studies comparing expert versus novice players. Brain Mechanisms, 2025.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
18 imaging studies: experts showed more activity in visual-pattern and cognitive-control areas, with stronger links between networks. Samples were small, mostly measured at one point in time, and mostly male.
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Reference 26: Atherton M, et al. A functional MRI study of high-level cognition. I. The game of chess. Cognitive Brain Research, 2003.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
Analyzing chess positions activated frontal, parietal and occipital areas on both sides of the brain.
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Reference 27: Wan X, et al. The neural basis of intuitive best next-move generation in board game experts. Science, 2011.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
Professional shogi players: recognizing board patterns engaged the precuneus; fast, intuitive moves engaged the caudate.
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Reference 28: Bilalić M, et al. Many faces of expertise: fusiform face area in chess experts and novices. Journal of Neuroscience, 2011.Read the source (opens the publisher's page in a new tab)
In experts, the brain area that recognizes faces also responded to chess positions.
Help Us Close the Gap
We are looking for research, care and community partners to help us test what we are building, and to bring it to the people who need it most. Tell us how you would like to help.