If you stay active socially despite health-related challenges then you can lessen the decline in well-being that people often experience late in life.
Lead author Denis Gerstorf said that their results indicated that living a socially active life and prioritising social goals are associated with higher late-life satisfaction and less severe declines toward the end of life.
In this study, the researchers compared well-being, participation in social activities, social goals and family goals during the last few years in life.
One particularly intriguing observation was that while low social participation and lack of social goals independently were associated with lower levels of well-being, when combined they each magnified the other's effect.
Co-author Gert Wagner said a socially engaged lifestyle often involves cognitive stimulation and physical activity, which in turn may protect against the neurological and physical factors underlying cognitive decline.
The research is published in the Journal Psychology and Aging.