Could Social Belonging Slow Ageing And Inflammation? Study Says Yes

We often talk about social connection in psychological or emotional terms, how friends, family, and community make us happier, less stressed, or more resilient. This is especially true during the festive season and the toughest times. But could the benefits of belonging run deeper, reaching into the very biology of ageing? A new study published in Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health offers compelling evidence that they might. Scientists looked at a concept called cumulative social advantage (CSA), a person's long-term access to relational, community, and emotional resources, and examined how it connects to molecular ageing, systemic inflammation, and neuroendocrine function. The results suggest that those richer in social capital show slower biological ageing, lower inflammatory markers, and better immune regulation.

This is more than a feel-good finding. It challenges us to rethink the interface between social life and biology, and raises the possibility that fostering social belonging could be part of a public health strategy to slow age-related decline. In an era when loneliness and social fragmentation are rising in many societies, this kind of research is especially timely. If belonging behaves like a "biological shield," as the authors of this study imply, the implications for ageing populations are profound, from preventive health policies to individual behaviour.

What Was Measured In The Study: Social Capital Meets Molecular Biology

The team used data from two U.S. cohorts, MIDUS II and MIDUS Refresher, totalling 2,117 participants (average age 55 years; 55% female). They constructed a latent measure of CSA from 16 indicators across four domains:

• Community engagement (friendship support, social integration, feeling accepted)
• Religious/faith-based support
• Extended emotional support
• Parent-child relationship quality

On the biological side, they evaluated:

• Epigenetic ageing using seven DNA methylation or "biological clocks"
• Inflammation via blood biomarkers
• Neuroendocrine function via urinary catecholamines and cortisol measures
• Statistical models related CSA to these biological measures, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, and study cohort.

Key Findings: Social Advantage And Slower Biological Ageing

Lower epigenetic age: Individuals with higher CSA had slower rates of molecular ageing across all DNA clocks.

• Reduced inflammation: Higher CSA was linked to lower levels of inflammatory markers, especially IL-6 and vascular adhesion markers. These associations held even after adjusting for confounders.
• No signal in urinary markers: CSA didn't show clear relationships with urine-based measures of neuroendocrine function (catecholamines, cortisol) in this analysis.
• Demographic nuances: Education had a modest but consistent protective effect; income effects were weaker and less stable. Black participants, on average, showed higher inflammation and accelerated epigenetic ageing compared to White participants, even after adjustment.

How This Might Work: More Inspiration To Socialise?

The study is cross-sectional, so causality cannot be proven. But the authors propose plausible pathways through which your social "wealth" can improve your health status:

• Reduced chronic stress: Strong social support may blunt the physiological wear and tear of stress, lowering immune overactivation and DNA damage.
• Health behaviours: Better social engagement might correlate with healthier lifestyles, better diet, more exercise, more preventive care.
• Psycho-neuroimmune regulation: Social connectedness may modulate neuroendocrine circuits (e.g. HPA axis), which in turn regulate inflammation and gene expression.
• Epigenetic embedding: Repeated exposures to positive social environments over time could lead to stable changes in gene methylation and expression.

They also caution that different domains of social capital might operate via distinct biological pathways, and interventions may need to be context-specific.

This fascinating study adds to a growing body of evidence that our social environments are more than just psychological comforts, they may become biologically embedded, influencing how fast we age and how much inflammation we carry. The idea that belonging can act as a biological shield is compelling. While we often invest in medicine, diet, and exercise, perhaps we should also invest in our relational ecosystems.

But caution is needed. The work is intriguing yet preliminary; it cannot yet prove that cultivating friendships or community bonds will slow your molecular clocks. Still, it opens a new frontier: in medicine, public health, and ageing science, social capital might become part of the risk assessment, prevention strategies and health policy. In an age of social fragmentation, the notion that we age better when we are connected is a timely call to rethink how society organizes, supports, and values relationships, not just for mental health, but for biology itself.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

References:

Ong AD, Mann FD, Kubzansky LD. (2025). Cumulative social advantage is associated with slower epigenetic ageing and lower systemic inflammation. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity, Health, 48: 101096. DOI:10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101096