Published on: Jan 27, 2026
Social Connections Linked to Cognitive Health in Older Adults,
A new study by an interdisciplinary team from McGill University and Université Laval provides fresh insights into how social factors influence cognitive health among aging adults. While previous research showed links between specific aspects of social connectedness and health outcomes, this study is among the first to aggregate multiple social variables into profiles and examine their relationship with cognition in older adults.
The researchers created three social environment categories weaker, intermediate, and richer using 24 variables capturing network size, social support, cohesion, and isolation. They analyzed data from roughly 30,000 participants in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), a nationally representative cohort of Canadians aged 45–84.
Cognitive health was assessed across three domains: executive function, episodic memory, and prospective memory, using standardized tests previously administered to CLSA participants.
Stronger social ties, better cognitive outcomes
“We found significant associations between social profiles and all three cognitive domains,” said Daiva Nielsen, Associate Professor at the McGill School of Human Nutrition and co-first author. Participants with intermediate or richer social environments generally scored higher cognitively than those with weaker profiles. The effects were modest, consistent with earlier studies, but somewhat stronger in participants aged 65 and older, suggesting social engagement may be especially important in later life.
The role of social connection in public health
Nielsen emphasized that lack of social connection can be as harmful as smoking, physical inactivity, or obesity, highlighting the need to encourage meaningful community ties. However, the researchers caution that the study shows correlations rather than causation, and it’s possible that declining cognition may also lead to reduced social engagement.
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