The Shifting Role of Social Ties for Well-Being Across the Life Course: A Cross-National Study

• In Event: Aging and the Life Course Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): 10: Social Connection and Engagement Among Older Adults

Abstract

Social ties are fundamental to individual well-being, yet their role varies systematically across the life course. This study integrates the "linked lives" perspective with cross-national comparative research to examine how sociability patterns and their relationship to well-being shift throughout people's lives across 30 countries.

Using harmonized social network data, I document substantial cross-national variation in life course patterns of social interaction. Countries differ markedly in how quickly sociability declines with age, with steeper declines in friendship and associational ties occurring in societies with stronger individualistic values.

The analysis reveals that associations between social interactions and well-being outcomes—including life satisfaction, social support, and loneliness—also vary cross-nationally. Individualistic societies show stronger positive returns from sociability than collectivist nations. Furthermore, the importance of different relationship types shifts across life stages: stable partnerships matter most in late adulthood; family interactions are most strongly associated with well-being during adolescence and old age; while non-kin relationships (friends, acquaintances, associations) show greater relevance during midlife.

Integrating these findings, I demonstrate that life course variations in the sociability-wellbeing relationship depend on cultural context. In societies with stronger individualistic orientations and sharper age-related declines in social ties, active social lives exhibit stronger associations with individual well-being.

This research demonstrates how combining comparative methods, life course approaches, and social network analysis can advance understanding of the complex processes linking social relationships to well-being across diverse societies and life stages.

Author

• Bernardo Mackenna, Stanford University