Along with colorful leaves and cooler temperatures, the fall season brings many opportunities to get back in touch with your social circle, whether at the school pick-up line, football game, Halloween party, or Thanksgiving dinner. This flurry of activity can be stressful at times, but more importantly, it boosts your brain health. Carol Chan, MD, Associate Staff/Geriatric Psychiatrist, Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health dives into the science of social connection and the brain.
Read the interview with Dr. Chan below.
WAM: What are the leading theories about the biological mechanisms behind the importance of social interaction and brain health? What’s actually happening in the brain when we’re socially isolated versus socially engaged?
Dr. Chan: When someone is socially isolated, their brain’s stress response system can become overactive. This can make the brain more vulnerable to stress, inflammation and cell damage. Studies have found that people who are socially isolated have smaller volumes in brain regions responsible for memory, attention and decision-making. Social engagement, on the other hand, helps keep these key brain regions active and regulate stress responses that can cause inflammation.
WAM: Research suggests that the depth of social engagement matters for brain health benefits. Is it better to have a few deep, meaningful relationships or many casual social interactions? How do we measure or define meaningful social engagement?
Dr. Chan: The current research suggests that having a few deep, meaningful relationships provides greater brain health benefits than having many casual social interactions. Quality social connections, such as having close friendships, are more strongly associated with a reduced risk of dementia than the sheer number of social connections.
WAM: With the rise of social media and digital communication, how do online social interactions compare to face-to-face interactions in terms of brain health benefits? Are we missing crucial elements when we socialize virtually?
Dr. Chan: Although online social interactions can have some brain health benefits, particularly for those who are socially isolated, face-to-face social engagement can provide an even greater advantage. In-person interactions are associated with greater emotional well-being and more cognitive engagement compared to virtual interactions.
WAM: For someone who recognizes they’ve become socially isolated, what’s the most effective approach to rebuilding social connections in a way that maximizes brain health benefits? Should the focus be on quantity, quality, or specific types of activities?
Dr. Chan: Focus on frequent, pleasant interactions with close friends or family. Remember, it is the quality of relationships, rather than the sheer quantity of social connections, that provides the most brain health benefits. Participation in group-based, physically active, or purpose-driven activities like volunteering can also help re-establish social engagement and facilitate the development of meaningful relationships.
WAM: Looking ahead, what innovations or interventions show the most promise for addressing loneliness and social isolation as public health issues? Are there community-level or policy-level approaches that could have significant population-wide benefits for brain health?
Dr. Chan: Absolutely! To address loneliness from a public health perspective, we need to look at isolation as a social and structural problem as opposed to an individual or personal issue. On a community level, making group-based social activities such as recreational groups more easily available to older adults can be helpful. Neighborhood-driven interventions, such as improving access to green spaces and safe communal areas, can also provide more opportunities for community interactions. On a policy level, funding and scaling evidence-based interventions, systemic changes to urban planning, and improving community infrastructure to help facilitate social engagement can help reduce isolation in older adults.