Scientists have uncovered evidence that one common everyday concern may have lasting consequences for brain health.

A new study from researchers at University College London (UCL) suggests that people who spend years struggling financially could experience faster brain aging and poorer memory and thinking skills as they grow older.

The findings, published in Innovation in Aging, followed 2,759 people born in 1946 in the U.K. over several decades. Researchers found that those who repeatedly faced low income or difficulty paying bills during early and middle adulthood performed worse on cognitive tests by age 53 than those who did not experience long-term financial strain.

“The key message of the study is that brain health is not only a matter of individual trajectories; it is also about how a society shapes people’s lives and experiences,” corresponding author Dr. Jacques Wels, of UCL’s Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing, told Newsweek.

Financial Struggles Leave a Lasting Mark

In comparison, 77 percent of Americans report feeling anxious about their financial situation, according to the Mind Over Money survey by Capital One and The Decision Lab. Many said money worries affect multiple aspects of their lives, with 43 percent reporting fatigue, 42 percent struggling to concentrate at work and 41 percent experiencing sleep problems.

The study found that the effects of financial hardship may extend far beyond day-to-day stress.

Wels said most studies on cognitive aging examine financial hardship at a single point in time. However, the decades of data used in this study allowed researchers to see that “the accumulation of hardship over many years is linked to the worst cognitive health outcomes, rather than occasional episodes of adversity.”

Brain scans taken decades later revealed another concerning trend. Participants who experienced persistent low income showed more signs of poor brain health—including greater brain shrinkage—between the ages of 69 and 71.

Importantly, the association remained even after researchers accounted for factors such as childhood intelligence, education and socioeconomic disadvantage, suggesting the findings could not be explained solely by a person’s background.

The researchers say the results point to the cumulative impact of financial hardship over time, rather than occasional financial setbacks.

Why Money Worries May Affect the Brain

The link between financial hardship and poorer brain health was particularly strong among men, people who experienced childhood disadvantage and those carrying the APOE-ε4 gene variant, which is known to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Men who faced long-term financial difficulties also performed worse on cognitive tests than women in similar circumstances.

Researchers suggest this may be because financially disadvantaged men in this generation were more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and heavy alcohol consumption. They may also have experienced greater stress because many were expected to serve as the primary earners in their households.

Wels told Newsweek that one possible explanation for why financial hardship appeared to have a stronger effect on men’s brain health was that financial stress may have contributed to habits that are known to harm health.

“Financial hardship alone is a cause of financial stress and unhealthy behaviour, but I don’t think we can easily distinguish the cause and the mechanisms—they both reinforce each other,” he said.

The team outlined several possible explanations for the connection between financial hardship and brain health. One is chronic stress, which can trigger inflammation throughout the body and has been linked to faster brain aging.

Another is the mental burden of constantly worrying about money, which may occupy cognitive resources and leave less capacity for other mental tasks.

Could Tackling Poverty Help Prevent Dementia?

Senior author Professor Praveetha Patalay said the findings suggest efforts to reduce long-term financial hardship could have benefits that extend beyond economic well-being.

“Our findings suggest that supporting people facing financial hardship and reducing chronic poverty could also help prevent cognitive decline and dementia cases in the future,” she said in a statement.

Reference

Yiwen Liu, Jacques Wels, Sarah-Naomi James, Sarah E Keuss, Jane Maddock, Thomas D Parker, Jean Stafford, Jonathan M Schott, Marcus Richards, Praveetha Patalay, Persistent financial adversity and cognitive aging: a life course investigation, Innovation in Aging, Volume 10, Issue 8, 2026, igag054, https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igag054

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Charlotte Nisbet and Emma Lee-Sang

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