Loneliness and Expanding Social Ties in Later Life: Motivation, Perceived Success, and Implications for Emotional Health.

OBJECTIVE: Social networks undergo changes in later life, reflecting proactive decreases as well as increases in size, but relatively little is known about the factors that motivate older adults to expand their social ties. Loneliness might be expected to motivate older adults to expand their social ties. Paradoxically, however, studies of younger age groups have linked loneliness to a self-protective reluctance to initiate social contact. The current study investigated whether loneliness fosters or inhibits older adults' efforts to expand their social ties and whether successful efforts are related to gains in emotional health. METHOD: Loneliness, motivation to expand social ties, and emotional health were assessed in a subset of older participants (N = 375) from the Later Life Study of Social Exchanges. RESULTS: Greater loneliness was associated with less interest, less investment of effort, and less success in making new ties and rekindling dormant ties. Nonetheless, lonelier older adults who expanded their social ties, particularly by rekindling dormant ties, exhibited some gains in emotional health over a one-year period. DISCUSSION: Greater attention to the role of loneliness in older adults' motivations for making new ties or rekindling dormant ties will broaden our understanding of social network changes in later life.

Switching it up: Activity diversity and cognitive functioning in later life.

Participating in a broad and balanced range of daily activities (i.e., activity diversity) has been associated with better cognitive functioning in later life. One possible explanation for this finding is that high levels of activity diversity are merely a proxy for being more physically active, a factor robustly linked to cognitive health. The present study examined whether activity diversity has a unique association with cognitive functioning beyond physical movement. Community-dwelling older adults (N = 252, Mage = 73.55 years, SD = 6.39) completed a cognitive battery and then responded to ecological momentary assessments of their participation in 10 common activity types (e.g., reading, chores, social visits) every 3 hr for 5-6 days. They also wore accelerometers to track daily physical movement. Multiple regression models revealed that greater diversity in daily activities was related to higher cognitive functioning even after adjusting for physical movement and other covariates such as education level. This study further clarifies the unique relationship of activity diversity, beyond physical movement, with cognition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Physical Activity and Daily Stress Processes in Older Adulthood.

OBJECTIVES: Older adults who are physically active report lower levels of stress. Less is known about the links between physical activity and exposure and reactivity to stressful events in daily life. The current study examined within-person associations between actigraphy-assessed daily physical activity and exposure and affective reactivity to naturally occurring interpersonal stressors. METHOD: Older adults (N = 180) from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study completed ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) every 3 hr for 5-6 days where they reported negative affect throughout the day and interpersonal tensions at the end of the day. They also wore Actical accelerometers to capture physical activity. RESULTS: Older adults reported greater numbers of interpersonal stressors on days when they spent less time being sedentary and engaged in more light physical activity. On days when older adults experienced more interpersonal stressors, they reported higher levels of negative affect, but this association was attenuated when they were more physically active that day. DISCUSSION: Physical activity may bolster older adults' capabilities to manage affective responses to interpersonal stressors in a more successful way. These findings underscore the importance of assessing physical activity and stressful events in daily life and have implications for both physical and psychological well-being.

Does Diversity of Social Ties Really Matter More for Health and Leisure Activity than Number of Social Ties? Evidence from Later Adulthood.

OBJECTIVES: Claims that the diversity of social ties matters more for health than the sheer number of ties have largely gone untested. This study accordingly compared the unique associations of number versus diversity of social ties with key health-related outcomes: functional limitations and leisure activities. Additionally, positive and ambivalent ties were distinguished. METHODS: Social networks, health, and leisure activities were assessed in a national sample of older adults (N = 874; ages 65-91). RESULTS: Regression analyses revealed that number of ties related to each outcome at a magnitude comparable to, or exceeding, that of diversity in most models. For positive ties, number related more strongly than diversity to greater leisure activities. For ambivalent ties, number related more strongly than diversity to worse functional limitations. DISCUSSION: Contrary to prevailing views, diversity of ties is not necessarily more important than number of ties. Findings extend scientific understanding and approaches to interventions.