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Five hours with grandkids
It isn't known whether time with grandchildren causes the improved memory. At the high end the pattern might even reverse, with grandparents who spend more than 20 hours a week showing the opposite of a benefit.
Possible reasons are that they are exhausted, or that they are in an unfortunate situation where they are forced into child care, such as when a parent is single or incarcerated.
Being around younger people or having a meaningful interaction, whether mentoring or grandparenting, can be useful in both directions. Older adults who volunteer or influence the next generation also tend to feel connected and useful, again in correlational research.
Children learn from it, too. One grandfather showed a boy how to clean a penny in Coca-Cola, and the boy came away with all sorts of questions, including whether he should be drinking it.
Why might grandparenting go with better memory?
In a 2014 analysis of European survey data, Bruno Arpino and Valeria Bordone found that grandparents who provided child care scored higher on memory and fluency tests than those who did not. Looking after children demands planning, conversation, and attention, which exercise the same mental skills the tests measure. It also brings social contact and a sense of purpose. Because the data are correlational, healthier and sharper grandparents may simply be the ones asked to help.
Why can heavy childcare strain grandparents?
Studies of grandparents who raise children full time, called custodial grandparents, report higher rates of stress and depressive symptoms than grandparents who do not provide care. Caregiving can crowd out sleep, rest, and time for their own friends and health. Many of these grandparents also face money pressure and complicated family circumstances. This is why researchers separate occasional babysitting from full-time caregiving.
Why does a penny get clean in cola?
Cola contains phosphoric acid and carbonic acid, which dissolve the dull copper oxide that coats an aged penny. Once that layer is gone, shiny copper shows through. US pennies made since 1982 are mostly zinc with only a thin copper plating.
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