Abstract
Maintaining cognitive health across the lifespan has been the focus of a multi-billion-dollar industry. In order to guide treatment and interventions, a clear understanding of the way that proficiency in different cognitive domains develops and declines in both sexes across the lifespan is necessary. Additionally, there are sex differences in a range of other factors, including psychiatric illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and substance use, that are also known to affect cognition, although the scale of this interaction is unknown. Our objective was to assess differences in cognitive function across the lifespan in men and women in a large, representative sample. Leveraging online cognitive testing, a sample of 9451 men and 9451 women ranging in age from 12 to 69 (M = 28.21) matched on socio-demographic factors were studied. Segmented regression was used to model three cognitive domains—working memory, verbal abilities, and reasoning. Sex differences in all three domains were minimal; however, after broadening the sample in terms of socio-demographic factors, sex differences appeared. These results suggest that cognition across the lifespan differs for men and women, but is greatly influenced by environmental factors. We discuss these findings within a framework that describes sex differences in cognition as likely guided by a complex interplay between biology and environment.
Highlights
In 2020, roughly 22% of the world’s population was over the age of 65, a total of approximately 1.7 billion people [1]
Do sex differences exist in some cognitive domains and not others? Do men and women attain their highest scores at the same age, and do they decline at the same rate? (3) Further, we explored the demographic and social factors that affect the sexes differently, and whether controlling for these differences affects the observed pattern of cognitive abilities across the lifespan
Both women and men showed a significant change in slope as measured by the Davies’ test (p < 0.001 for both sexes)
Summary
In 2020, roughly 22% of the world’s population was over the age of 65, a total of approximately 1.7 billion people [1]. The consequences of our aging population are many, including an increasing focus on maintaining cognitive health. By 18, executive function is thought to be mature [10], research suggests that some processes continue to develop in early adulthood [11]. Young adulthood is where most researchers agree that cognitive abilities peak; there is large variability within this period across different cognitive functions [6,11]. Mid to late adulthood is characterized by a slow decline in most cognitive abilities [8,12,13,14,15,16], and while it can be problematic, this decline is considered part of healthy aging
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