Overview

• A study of 2,268 U.S. adults aged 60 and older found that high social engagement significantly reduces the risk of death by 42% over four years.
• Key activities associated with lower mortality include charity work, spending time with grandchildren, and participating in sports or social clubs.
• The benefits of social engagement are mediated by two primary mechanisms: slower biological aging and increased physical activity levels.
• Participants with high social engagement exhibited a biological age nearly four years younger than their chronological age, as indicated by blood biomarkers.
• The findings underscore the importance of social integration as a public health strategy to support healthy aging in the rapidly growing older population.