East Germans show cognitive edge in later life
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Older adults who grew up in East Germany before its 1989 reunification demonstrate better cognitive health and slower mental decline than their peers from West Germany.
After World War II, Germany split into East and West, developing drastically different political and economic systems. Researchers Ariane Bertogg and Jeffrey E.
Stokes examined whether these systems affected cognitive health in old age, testing two ideas, that West Germany’s economic strength would lead to better scores, or that East Germany’s education system would provide an advantage. Bertogg and Stokes analyzed data from over 5,200 adults, assessing their memory, executive function, orientation, and numeracy skills over four years. They accounted for factors like health, income, and education to isolate the impact of growing up in either East or West Germany.
The study revealed that people who lived in East Germany before reunification consistently performed better on cognitive tests and experienced slower cognitive decline. Specifically, East Germans maintained stable or improved scores in memory and verbal fluency, while West Germans showed decline. This advantage was particularly noticeable in men and in those who were in their twenties and forties at the time of reunification.
The researchers suggest that East Germany’s emphasis on universal early childcare and longer compulsory schooling built cognitive reserve, helping to protect against age-related mental decline, even despite poorer overall physical health. They plan to study similar effects in other European countries with different political histories.
