Promoting Social Interaction to Foster Healthy Ageing

Healthy ageing depends on the power of social interaction. Frequent and meaningful interactions within relevant social groups such as family members, friends, and acquaintances improve the quality of life and foster longevity.

This is detailed in a study published in the journal GeroScience, which highlights the evolutionary and biological mechanisms linking social relationships, longevity, and healthier ageing.

Social interactions are not only a key element for psychological well-being, but they can also have a profound influence on physical health and longevity.

“In a world with a rapidly ageing population, where more than 16% of people will be over 65 by 2050, understanding the links between social interactions and biological ageing is crucial to face the challenges of the future”, says Cristina Giuliani, Professor at the Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences of the University of Bologna who coordinated the survey.

Researchers point out that among socially isolated people the mortality risk increases by 29%. This figure is comparable to major risk factors such as obesity, smoking and physical inactivity.

At the same time, chronic social stresses such as isolation or marginalisation have been shown to deeply alter the neurophysiological and immune systems, accelerating biological ageing. These effects can lead to an increased risk of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, cardiovascular diseases, and some forms of cancer.

One element that fosters longevity is intergenerational social relationships, such as between parents and children or grandparents and grandchildren. These exchanges contribute to creating a resilient social system capable of mitigating the effects of ageing.

“Intergenerational interactions and cooperation not only affect individual biology, but they also seem to have shaped some distinctive features of our species, such as the extension of post-reproductive life”, says Giuliani.

The study highlights that promoting solid social systems and intergenerational interactions not only improves the quality of life of the elderly but could also lead to a reduction in the economic weight of age-related diseases.

“This is especially relevant in Italy, one of the countries with the highest life expectancy”, adds Giuliani. “If not addressed with innovative strategies based on scientific evidence, ageing risks amplifying inequalities and putting social and family support networks under pressure, as well as increasing the economic weight of chronic age-related diseases”.

The study was published in the journal GeroScience with the title “Stay social, stay young: a bioanthropological outlook on the processes linking sociality and ageing”. Cristina Giuliani, a member of the Alma-aging Team and an expert in molecular anthropology, together with Vincenzo Iannuzzi, a research fellow in the Age-it project, funded by PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), which aims to develop innovative solutions to support an increasingly long-lived population, participated for the University of Bologna.