Strong Friendships May Be the Key to Healthy Aging, New Study Finds

It's no secret that a good group of friends can improve your overall quality of life and increase happiness. But new research suggests that solid social support isn't just about the emotional benefits—it can also slow the aging process.

The research, which appeared in the October issue of Brain, Behavior, and Immunity—Health, drew on data from more than 2,100 adults in the long-running Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study.

Through their analysis of this data, the researchers found that individuals with higher levels of what they called “cumulative social advantage” showed slower aging and lower levels of chronic inflammation.

The study focused on so-called "epigenetic clocks," biological markers used to determine the pace at which a person is aging, including morbidity and mortality. Adults with stronger, more sustained social networks were found to have a significantly younger biological age than their actual chronological age. They also had lower levels of interleukin-6, a pro-inflammatory molecule connected to heart disease, diabetes, and neurodegeneration.

"Cumulative social advantage is really about the depth and breadth of your social connections over a lifetime,” Anthony Ong, one of the study's researchers and the director of the Human Health Labs in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University, told the Cornell Chronicle.

“We looked at four key areas: the warmth and support you received from your parents growing up, how connected you feel to your community and neighborhood, your involvement in religious or faith-based communities, and the ongoing emotional support from friends and family," he said.

Unlike other studies that observed individual factors, such as whether a person was married, this new work combined both early and later-life relationships.

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"What's striking is the cumulative effect—these social resources build on each other over time," said Ong. "It's not just about having friends today; it's about how your social connections have grown and deepened throughout your life. That accumulation shapes your health trajectory in measurable ways."

Unfortunately, since the overall impact on the aging process develops over a lifetime, building strong social circles later in life doesn't have the same effect, although it still helps.

"Think of social connections like a retirement account," Ong said. "The earlier you start investing and the more consistently you contribute, the greater your returns. Our study shows those returns aren't just emotional; they're biological. People with richer, more sustained social connections literally age more slowly at the cellular level. Aging well means both staying healthy and staying connected—they're inseparable."