A strong social network is well known to contribute to well-being, mental health and longevity in adults but when researchers from the University of Adelaide dug further, they found a strong correlation between people living in larger households and a reduced risk of dying from dementia. In an international investigation of people aged over 60 years from over 180 countries around the world, biomedicine researcher Wenpeng You and his team discovered that “large households protect against dementia mortality,” regardless of age, race, and income. “It shows that human factors—relationships, a sense of connection and purpose, encouragement and praise, meaningful engagement with others—are all quite important in combatting the progress of dementia,” You said about the study published on March 4. Dementia is one of the biggest health challenges in the 21st century, with an estimated cost globally of US$1.3 trillion. Emeritus Professor Maciej Henneberg, the senior author of the study, …