Positive social interactions boost older adults’ mood and sense of purpose

A new study shows that even brief positive interactions go a long way towards improving seniors' well-being and quality of life.

It’s no secret that emotional connections and close relationships are critical to a person’s health, but how much social interaction is enough? A new study sheds light on the ways that even simple interactions can bolster aging adults’ moods and sense of well-being, and it proves that just a little bit of friendly socialization may go a long way towards staving off feelings of loneliness and other health issues.

The findings, published in the July issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychology, show that older adults who experience more positive social interactions each day report feeling a higher sense of purposefulness. This result is true for both working and retired adults, though researchers note that the findings are especially important post-retirement.

How do social interactions benefit older adults?

For the study, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis surveyed 100 Swiss adults with an average age of 71, asking them to rank their daily social interactions and share how much purpose they felt their lives had that day. They also assessed other measures, like each person’s relationship status and employment.

Ultimately, when they analyzed the results, researchers found that while each person’s sense of purpose varies daily, those variations are strongly impacted by positive social interactions. Respondents who reported better daily social interactions also reported feeling more purposeful overall. On days in which they had better social interactions than usual, they also reported feeling even more purposeful than usual.

“By enhancing sense of purpose, older adults will be more likely to experience the valuable cognitive and physical healthy aging benefits that come with it.”

—THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY