Gaby
People often become less social as they age. But it’s not just humans—animals do it too, and for many species that pullback can bring benefits. “Overall, it seems there is a general pattern: people become less sociable as they get older. But many animals also become less social with age,” said Dr. Josh Firth, lead author of the published work and a researcher at the University of Leeds in the UK.
Recently, several research teams have reported links between age and social interaction across different animal species. As the editor of a 16-article special issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Firth says studying animals lets scientists follow individuals across their whole lives and run experiments—things that are much harder with humans. He points out that older humans often have fewer social ties because they don’t need to exchange information as much as younger people do, and virtual technology today helps reduce the downsides of isolation.
What did the researchers find? One study that analyzed data from more than 150 species found that more social species tend to live longer, spend more time reproducing, and have longer reproductive periods, The Guardian reported.
In another study, researchers examined six years of data on house sparrows (the species most commonly found near humans). They found that older birds have narrower social circles and are less connected to other birds, likely because many of their peers die from age-related causes. A modeling study of rhesus macaque social networks found that older macaques can lower their risk of disease—especially severe disease for their age group—by reducing social connections. Researchers saw a similar pattern when they studied parasitic nematode infections in adult female red deer. “We found that overall, the likelihood of nematode infection increases with age, but this can be avoided by limiting social interactions,” Dr. Firth said.
