A comprehensive study of more than 2,200 older adults revealed that those engaged in high social engagement significantly reduced their mortality risk. The most socially active older adults showed a 42% lower chance of death over four years compared with their less engaged peers.

The research, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, followed participants aged 60 or more years from 2016 to 2020, examining how various forms of social engagement affect survival rates. The study authors found that specific activities and social engagement provided the greatest protective benefits for older adults.

“Charity work, frequent engagement with grandchildren and attending sports or social clubs were significantly associated with lower mortality risk,” the researchers reported.

The study identified two key ways that social engagement may help older adults live longer. First, those who are socially active tend to be more physically active, which explained 16% of the reduced mortality risk. Second, social engagement was linked to slower biological aging, measured through a range of biomarkers. This way accounted for another 15% of the benefit. On average, highly engaged individuals had a biological age almost four years younger than their actual age, whereas those with low engagement aged faster, showing biological ages 1.5 years older than their real age.

The research used data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal study. Participants were categorized into low, moderate and high social engagement groups based on their involvement in recreational, volunteer, educational, community-based and family activities.

Notably, the study found that overall social engagement levels were low across all groups, averaging below the midpoint on the measurement scale. This, the researchers suggested, spotlights substantial room for improvement in promoting social activities among older adults.

The findings remained significant even after accounting for demographics, socioeconomic factors and chronic health conditions. According to the study authors, those results “suggest that promoting social activities, healthy aging practices, and physical exercise could be crucial for developing effective public health interventions to promote longevity in the geriatric population.”