Social engagement and relationships Archive

Loneliness is widespread and harms both physical and mental health, but nurturing existing relationships is a powerful antidote. By reconnecting with friends and family, meeting regularly, minimizing distractions, and staying in touch across distance, it's possible to more connected and help protect long-term health.

The new year is a good time to focus on cognitive fitness. Exercise, healthy eating, mental challenges, good sleep, controlling stress, and social engagement support neuroplasticity and help keep thinking and memory sharp.

Men and women can experience many age-related changes and health conditions that can cause their sex drives to decline. Couples who deal with mismatched or missing sex drives should communicate about how they can work together to get back in sync. Both partners should share what they enjoy before and during sex, what issues may be hindering their sex drive, and what strategies they can try, such as recreating dating, planning time for intimacy, and exploring new ways to create romantic moods.

Solo-agers are people 50 and older who aren't married, don't have children, and live alone. Many of them don't have people they can count on to help them with household tasks or manage their ongoing care, if needed. While solo aging can offer perks, it can also leave older adults vulnerable to deteriorating mental and physical health. Solo-agers may count on help from siblings, neighbors, friends, community groups, or paid help. They can build their support by setting up a buddy system, staying in regular touch with loved ones, and tapping senior programs.

Continuing to work in retirement can address many specific health needs of men as they age, such as stronger social connection, better cognitive health, and a greater sense of purpose. Regular work has been linked with higher rates of happiness and a lower risk for multiple health conditions. For men who don't want to re-enter the workforce, options like volunteering and mentoring can offer many of the same health benefits.

Super-agers are people who reach their 80s, 90s, or beyond with the memory capacity of someone at least three decades younger. As people get older, certain brain regions shrink, slowing brain functions. But super-agers retain more brain volume in areas linked to memory and movement, and their brains shrink more slowly over time. Women are more likely to be super-agers because they live, on average, longer than men. Genetics also appear to play a significant role in achieving super-ager status.

An active social life is good medicine for the body and brain as it lowers the risk for many chronic diseases and protects against dementia and mild cognitive impairment. However, people who are introverts and enjoy their solitude can struggle with engagement. These individuals can benefit from socializing while maintaining their comfort levels by engaging in activities like joining social clubs and other groups, taking classes, and attending public events.

Older adults might not think too much about how they want to spend their remaining years. However, some self-reflection can help them live their final years to their fullest. Asking themselves what is most important in five areas-relationships, health, education, personal growth, and recreation-can help people recognize where their passions lie. Once they discover which goals are most important, they then can begin developing plans to meet them.

In a 2025 study of about 2,000 people (average age 80) who were followed for seven years, about a third developed dementia or mild cognitive impairment. Being socially active seemed to delay that diagnosis for about five years.