Friend support linked to better thinking scores in older adults
In an observational study of 19,976 US adults aged 50 and older, lacking a partner or children generally was not linked to worse cognitive scores.
The catch: The analysis excluded movers and people interviewed through proxies
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In an observational study of 19,976 US adults aged 50 and older living outside institutions, researchers analyzed repeated cognitive tests and self-reported social support from 2006–2018.
After accounting for demographic, economic and health differences, lacking a partner or children generally was not linked to worse scores. Exceptions included unpartnered parents in the exurban West—outlying areas including rural counties—and unpartnered adults without children in the suburban West. Friend support was associated with better scores in nearly all settings, with especially consistent links across the South. Extended family support had no independent association overall. Further analyses suggested friend support might buffer cognitive disadvantage among adults with neither partners nor children in the urban West, and extended family support among unpartnered parents in the exurban South.
Why it matters
The findings bear on whether different forms of social support may help compensate for limited family ties as people age, and how that role may depend on where they live.
Caveats
This observational study cannot establish that social support improves cognition, and some geographic subgroups were small. Participants were White, Black or Hispanic adults living outside institutions; the analysis excluded movers and interviews conducted through proxies.
The paper
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Health & Place, Sep 21, 2026, Open access
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