Group Ties Protect Cognitive Health by Promoting Social Identification and Social Support

Objective: Social relationships are protective of cognitive health as we age and recent findings show that social group ties (e.g., with community and peer groups) are especially important. The present research examines this relationship further to explore (a) the contribution of group, relative to interpersonal, ties and (b) underlying mechanism. Method: Two cross-sectional survey studies were conducted. Study 1 was conducted online (N = 200) and Study 2 involved face-to-face interviews (N = 42). Results: The findings confirmed group ties as a stronger predictor of cognitive health than individual ties. It also supported our proposed sequential mediation model suggesting that the benefits of group ties arise from their capacity to enhance a sense of shared social identification and this, in turn, provides the basis for effective social support. Discussion: Both studies provided evidence consistent with claims that group ties were especially beneficial because they cultivated social identification that provided the foundation for social support.