Social Interaction With Friends and Cognitive Function: Benefits of Spending Time Together and Giving a Helping Hand

Abstract

Despite the burgeoning literature linking social integration and cognitive function, studies that focus on the potential cognitive benefits associated with friendships are limited. Using eight waves of nationally representative data from the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2012), we investigated whether two distinct forms of social interaction with friends—(1) getting together for a chat/social visit and (2) providing informal helping to friends—were associated with cognitive function (assessed with a modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognition Status) among individuals aged 50 and older (person N = 29,951) over a 14-year observation period. Multilevel models revealed robust evidence for within-person linkages between both forms of social interaction with friends and better cognitive function. The study findings are discussed in the context of declining social interaction with one’s friends reported over the past several decades in the United States, which are partly driven by increasing leisure trends characterized by in-home entertainment.