Friendship must be a political priority

Friendship keeps you young – we’ve all heard that before. But a growing body of research is now giving it some scientific backing.

We all know that loneliness and social isolation is a killer. Not only is it linked to poorer mental health, as one might expect, but the World Health Organization (WHO) says loneliness can increase risk of heart attack and stroke by 30 per cent, and dementia as much as 50 per cent. It’s why the WHO earlier this year adopted a resolution on “fostering social connection for global health”.

However, having an active social life doesn’t just mean you avoid these increased risks. It can actually improve health too. Research published in scientific journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity last month found biological ageing is slowed down by what they call “cumulative social advantage”. The more active a person was in their communities (which not only included family and friends, but things like church groups and volunteering), the higher their cumulative social advantage – and the higher this was, the slower the epigenetic changes (age-related changes to a person’s DNA).

“Sustained social advantage is associated with more favourable biological ageing profiles, including slower epigenetic ageing and reduced inflammatory signalling. These findings add to growing evidence that social resources are embedded in the physiological pathways that shape ageing and health”, the paper concludes.

This is all further proof that a key part of preventative healthcare is not just about keeping individuals physically and mentally healthy as long as possible, but it’s about keeping communities physically and mentally healthy too. Exercise and eating less rubbish will only get you so far.

Personal choice, of course, is a big factor. We can all choose to be a bit more social, go out a bit more, speak to more people (as scary and difficult as making friends as adults can often seem).

But there is also a political angle to this. Higher household income is associated with stronger social connections, which makes sense when affordability can be a big barrier to participation. Government at all levels can help address this. Councils can create places for people to gather, at different price points, and support third sector organisations and community groups which provide some of those spaces. National government can ensure people have enough disposable income to do more.

And as we think about the barriers many groups face, governments should also invest in wider accessibility improvements. That might look like housing adaptations so older people can stay in their communities for as long as possible. It might look like providing more social care so a disabled person is not prevented from participating because they’ve not been able to get out of bed. It might look like ensuring there are good enough transport links so people can get places more easily.

There’s also something to be said for having better information on who is at risk of losing social connections. I’m by no means talking about any sort of official register of loneliness, but I do think back to the pandemic when my grandmother, prevented from seeing her family who lived further away, instead received support from her local church. Fellow members of the congregation who lived locally knew about her situation and so were able to rock up on her doorstep on the morning of her 90th birthday with a hamper of treats and (socially distanced) best wishes. That is the type of social connection more people her age need.

Efforts to improve our health should mean tackling the dire gap between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. The latest figures, published over the summer, found the time people in Scotland spend in good health has fallen to a near ten-year low. Many of us will spend roughly the last quarter of our lives in poor health.

But if we can work to decelerate biological ageing for more people, that will mean healthy life expectancy goes up and people can live for longer in good health. The next frontier in preventative healthcare must be about longevity. Social connection is part of that equation.

And if the moral imperative is not enough, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares for her autumn statement and finance secretary Shona Robison shapes her budget, think of the long-term benefits. Getting this right could save billions for the NHS and our welfare system. It could also ensure more people stay in work longer, which according to estimates by the International Longevity Centre could add £20bn to the economy.

Or as the WHO-backed Commission on Social Connection put it earlier this year: “This is not only about personal health and wellbeing. It is also a cornerstone of economic prosperity, national resilience and social cohesion… Social health is not a luxury. It is a human need. And now, more than ever, it must be a political priority.”