Social Media & Aging: Inflammation & Longevity
- Research suggests a lifetime of positive social interactions can correlate wiht a younger biological age, as measured by epigenetic clocks.
- A study published in the October issue of Brain, Behaviour and Immunity - Health suggests that accumulated social advantages throughout life-including supportive relationships and community involvement-may slow down...
- The research, led by Anthony Ong, a psychology professor at Cornell University, analyzed data from over 2,100 adults participating in the long-term MIDUS study.
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Research suggests a lifetime of positive social interactions can correlate wiht a younger biological age, as measured by epigenetic clocks.
A study published in the October issue of Brain, Behaviour and Immunity – Health suggests that accumulated social advantages throughout life-including supportive relationships and community involvement-may slow down the biological aging process. Researchers found that individuals with greater “cumulative social advantage” exhibited slower epigenetic aging and reduced levels of chronic inflammation. inflammation is a key driver of manny age-related diseases.
The research, led by Anthony Ong, a psychology professor at Cornell University, analyzed data from over 2,100 adults participating in the long-term MIDUS study. MIDUS has been tracking the health and well-being of American adults since 1995, providing a rich dataset for investigating factors influencing aging.MIDUS Study Website
Epigenetic Clocks and Biological age
The study focused on “epigenetic clocks,” wich are molecular indicators used to estimate the rate of biological aging. These clocks analyze patterns of DNA methylation-chemical modifications to DNA that don’t change the DNA sequence itself but can affect gene expression. Two specific clocks, GrimAge and DunedinPACE, were used in the study as they are considered particularly accurate predictors of illness and mortality.
Individuals with stronger and more consistent social networks demonstrated considerably younger profiles on both the GrimAge and DunedinPACE clocks. This suggests that their biological age, as estimated by these epigenetic markers, was lower than their chronological age.
| Epigenetic Clock | Description | Predictive Power |
|---|---|---|
| GrimAge | based on DNA methylation markers associated with aging and age-related diseases. | Strongly correlated with all-cause mortality and age-related diseases. |
| dunedinpace | Measures the pace of aging based on a range of biomarkers. | Predictive of functional decline and lifespan. |
Researchers defined “cumulative social advantage” as the combined effect of positive social experiences throughout a person’s life. This includes factors like parental warmth during childhood, strong friendships, active community engagement, and religious or spiritual support in adulthood. According to Anthony Ong, Cumulative social advantage is really about the depth and breadth of your social connections over a life
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The study found that individuals with higher levels of cumulative social advantage not only showed slower epigenetic aging but also had lower levels of chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is a hallmark of many age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.