Social connections and the brain

Keeping up our ties to friends and family and taking part in social activities may help us stay sharp as we age, according to the Global Council on Brain Health. This summary is part of our Staying Sharp series.

We're only human

People vary in the degree to which they seek out the company of other people but we share the fundamental need to interact with others. A wealth of evidence shows that positive relationships and shared activities contribute to our wellbeing. Conversely, loneliness and social isolation increase health risks in older people. Various life events, such as retirement, bereavement and ill health, can reduce social networks and make it harder to stay active socially.

We have reviewed the evidence from a brain health perspective, asking whether older people who have larger social networks and are more socially engaged tend to have better thinking skills.

People experience relationships and interactions differently, and not all of them will be positive or meaningful. For this review, we refer to social engagement as meaning interactions with other people that are pleasing and meaningful, and that have positive outcomes for those taking part such as emotional or practical support.

Close ties support brain health

Research suggests that having close ties to friends and family, and participating in meaningful social activities, may help people maintain their thinking skills better in later life and slow down cognitive decline. People who are socially engaged seem to have a lower risk of dementia, but the evidence is not yet strong enough to draw firm conclusions.

The evidence has limitations because of the difficulties of designing studies on the effect of social engagement on brain health in people, but it indicates that the numbers of social connections, and the type, quality and purpose of relationships, can affect brain function. So it seems that better social engagement is good for brain health. There is also evidence that loneliness increases the risk of loss of thinking skills in older people.

We don’t yet understand how a higher level of social engagement enhances brain health, but it may be that meaningful interactions with others provide a buffer against more harmful impacts such as stress. It could also be that changes in thinking skills that are happening for other reasons affect social engagement levels, rather than the other way round

Overall, we recommend social engagement for people as they age because, even though the evidence on its impact on brain health is limited for now, there is good evidence of other benefits of social interactions for wellbeing and quality of life in later life.