Anti-Aging Effects of a Satisfying Social Circle

Social connectedness is emerging as an important factor in mental health as well as longevity.  Cheryl Carmichael, from the University of Rochester (New York, USA), and colleagues studied 133 people who enrolled n the study when they were 20-year-old college students in the 1970s.  Subjects kept track of their daily social interactions at ages 20 and 30. At age 50, they completed an online survey about the quality of their social lives and emotional well-being, including questions about loneliness and depression, and their relationships with close friends. Data analysis revealed that frequent social interactions at age 20 and good-quality relationships -- defined as intimate and satisfying -- at age 30 were associated with higher levels of well-being at age 50.   The study authors write that: “Our findings are consistent with the idea that selection and optimization serve important functions in early adulthood, and that engaging in developmentally appropriate social activity contributes to psychosocial adjustment in the decades that follow.”