Loneliness and Expanding Social Ties in Later Life: Motivation, Perceived Success, and Implications for Emotional Health

Abstract Objective Social networks undergo changes in later life, reflecting proactive decreases as well as increases in size, but relatively little is known about the factors that motivate older adults to expand their social ties. Loneliness might be expected to motivate older adults to expand their social ties. Paradoxically, however, studies of younger age groups have linked loneliness to a self-protective reluctance to initiate social contact. The current study investigated whether loneliness fosters or inhibits older adults’ efforts to expand their social ties and whether successful efforts are related to gains in emotional health. Method Loneliness, motivation to expand social ties, and emotional health were assessed in a subset of older participants (N = 375) from the Later Life Study of Social Exchanges. Results Greater loneliness was associated with less interest, less investment of effort, and less success in making new ties and rekindling dormant ties. Nonetheless, lonelier older adults who expanded their social ties, particularly by rekindling dormant ties, exhibited some gains in emotional health over a one-year period. Discussion Greater attention to the role of loneliness in older adults’ motivations for making new ties or rekindling dormant ties will broaden our understanding of social network changes in later life.