Recent research published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B has found that that maintaining a routine in social interactions is associated with enhanced emotional well-being of older adults. The study suggests that not just the frequency or setting of these interactions, but their regular timing can independently contribute to an increase in well-being among the elderly.
“Although it is commonly agreed that social interactions are good for older adults’ health and well-being, it is unclear how older adults should engage in social interactions to maintain or improve their health and well-being,” said study author Minxia Luo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Healthy Longevity Center and Department of Psychology of University of Zurich.
“My research aims to offer information about ‘how to do it.’ For examine, based on the same dataset, we have shown diminishing returns of social interaction frequency on well-being and loneliness, suggesting social interactions frequency is not ‘the more the merrier.’ We have also shown that alternating between solitude and social interactions is beneficial for well-being. The article of interest here is a third output from this project.”
The study included 103 German-speaking older adults from Switzerland, aged 65 years and above, who were fluent in using digital devices and had adequate vision and hearing. These participants were monitored over 21 days using an event-contingent experience sampling method, which required them to record their social interactions soon after they occurred, using smartphones provided by the research team.
The interactions were diverse, ranging from face-to-face conversations to digital communications like emails and video chats. The key measure was the routineness of these interactions—specifically, whether the interactions occurred at the same time each day, and the regularity of the interaction modality, partner type, and location.
The researchers found that older adults who engaged in routine social interactions tended to experience more positive emotions such as happiness and inspiration. This pattern was observed regardless of the context of the interactions, whether they were with friends, family, or others, and independent of the frequency of these interactions.
Interestingly, the findings also highlighted that maintaining a routine in social engagements was linked to a decrease in negative feelings, such as sadness or anxiety. This suggests that a predictable social schedule might provide a sense of stability and security, which can help alleviate stress and emotional lows commonly experienced by some older adults.
“A key message is that the regular time patterns of social interactions could be helpful for enhancing well-being, independent of other features of social interactions, such as the frequency and the context (e.g., interaction partners, locations),” Luo told PsyPost. “This finding is in line with research on routines in younger adults. In other words, if older adults want to invest their time on an activity to boost their well-being, they could consider developing some routine social interactions.”
However, the researchers also noted that while routine social interactions were linked to improved emotional states, they were unrelated to overall life satisfaction. This points to the complexity of well-being in older adults — while routine socializing can enhance day-to-day emotions, it might not influence deeper, reflective judgments about life satisfaction, which are typically shaped by a broader range of life circumstances and personal values.
The researchers also did not find a significant relationship between the routineness of social interactions and cognitive abilities. This aspect of the study suggests that the benefits of routine social engagements are more closely linked to emotional well-being rather than cognitive function.
“We found non-significant associations between routineness of social interactions and cognition (reasoning, episodic memory, speed, vocabulary),” Luo explained. “I expected that maintaining routines requires cognitive abilities. It is possible that our sample had community-dwelling older adults who were relatively active and healthy and thus did not have sufficient variation of cognitive abilities to show differences.”
“Alternatively, our findings could suggest that maintaining routines do not require too many cognitive abilities – daily life offers already sufficient cues. In that case, it is actually good news – suggesting that routines might be maintained in case of cognitive decline. Yet, this proposition would require further investigation.”
Despite these positive findings, the researchers acknowledge several limitations. The study’s design does not allow for conclusions about causality — whether routine interactions lead to better well-being or if individuals with better well-being are more likely to engage in routine interactions. Furthermore, the study focused on well-functioning older adults, which might not represent those with significant health or cognitive challenges.
Future research is needed to explore the impact of routine social interactions over longer periods and in more diverse populations, including those with health impairments. Moreover, understanding the impact of voluntary versus obligatory social routines could offer deeper insights into how routines affect well-being.
“One long-term goal of this research is to offer some guidance about how to engage in social interactions,” Luo said. “There is guidance on physical activities, food intake, etc. It could be helpful to have something for social interactions, which are an important part of daily life.”
The study, “Routineness of Social Interactions is Associated with Higher Affective Well-Being in Older Adults,” was authored by Minxia Luo, Kristina Yordanova, Birthe Macdonald, and Gizem Hülür.