Social Networks and Cognitive Function: An Evaluation of Social Bridging and Bonding Mechanisms

Abstract

Background and Objectives Social connectedness has been linked prospectively to cognitive aging, but there is little agreement about the social mechanisms driving this relationship. This study evaluated nine measures of social connectedness, focusing on two forms of social enrichment – access to an expansive and diverse set of loosely connected individuals (i.e., social bridging) and integration in a supportive network of close ties (i.e., social bonding). Research Design and Methods This study used egocentric network and cognitive data from 311 older adults in the Social Networks in Alzheimer Disease (SNAD) study. Linear regressions were used to estimate the association between social connectedness and global cognitive function, episodic memory, and executive function. Results Measures indicative of social bridging (larger network size, lower density, presence of weak ties, and proportion non-kin) were consistently associated with better cognitive outcomes, while measures of social bonding (close ties, multiplex support, higher frequency of contact, better relationship quality, and being married) largely produced null effects. Discussion and Implications These findings suggest that the protective benefits of social connectedness for cognitive function and memory may operate primarily through a cognitive reserve mechanism that is driven by irregular contact with a larger and more diverse group of peripheral others.

Subjective Memory Decline Predicts Incident Cognitive Impairment Among White—But Not Black or Hispanic—Older Adults

“…Any decline in cognitive performance may be important, but we focus on when people no longer manifest normal cognition, a common outcome in the literature on SMD (Kaup et al, 2015;Mayeda et al, 2016;Reisberg et al, 2010). The loss of normal cognitive functioning is clinically significant, especially for early therapeutic intervention (Ritchie & Touchon, 2000), and consequential to the older person's social ties (Perry et al, 2021).…”

The Reciprocal Relationship Between Social Engagement and Cognitive Function Among Older Adults in South Korea

“…Active engagement at the organizational level may reflect an unmeasured social bridging effect of expansive and diverse informal ties on cognitive reserve. For instance, Perry et al (2021, p. 7) maintain that “contact with a larger and more diverse group of peripheral others” increases cognitive reserve that may protect global cognitive function, episodic memory, and executive function. Frequent organizational activities may afford a way to socialize with such peripheral ties.…”

Olfaction in (Social) Context: The Role of Social Complexity in Trajectories of Older Adults’ Olfactory Abilities

“…The interviewer recorded responses using a computer-assisted personal interview. Although the NSHAP also collected measures of olfactory threshold ( n- butanol sensitivity), this study focused on olfactory identification given its stronger association with cognitive outcomes (including executive functioning and semantic memory) (Hedner et al, 2010) and the shared neural structure involved in olfactory identification and social, interpersonal factors (Blumen & Verghese, 2019; Perry et al, 2021; Xu et al, 2020). Following prior studies, olfactory functioning was measured as the sum of correctly identified odors (range: 0-5).…”

“…More complex social environments provide greater social stimulation and diverse experiences, the heterogeneity and novelty of which protect against cognitive decline (Cohn-Schwartz et al, 2021). Indeed, managing the different social roles that more complex network structures demand can itself be more cognitively challenging than managing more homogeneous networks that demand less transmittal of information (Perry et al, 2021).…”

“…This study examines the hypothesis that properties of older adults’ personal networks and activities that reflect exposure to complex social environments may be sources of sensory stimulation and enrichment that protect against olfactory decline. As primary sources of social integration (Fischer, 2011), personal network members can serve as direct sources of exposure to novelty and enrichment (Ellwardt et al, 2015; Perry et al, 2021). Beyond direct stimulation, social network members can also function as gateways to novelty and enrichment in the broader social environment.…”