# SOCIAL INTERACTION IN OLD AGE

> **NIH NIH R01** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 1990 · $173,968

## Abstract

A growing body of research in gerontology links social interaction in old
age to multiple indicators of psychological well-being and physical health.
As a whole this research provides compelling evidence for the contention
that social relationships are fundamental to the well-being of an aging
population.  Findings from recent studies of older adults, however, prompt
reconsideration of the notion that social interaction is uniformly
positive.  In this application, I propose a model of socioemotional aging
that assumes that social interaction in old age differs from social
interaction earlier in life; and, further, that age differences are
accounted for by both psychological differences in older adults and
interpersonal changes that can function to limit affective gain derived
from social interaction.  In this application, a four year program of
research is described aimed at the identification of the costs and the
benefits -- both social and emotional -- of social interaction for the
older person and his or her social partners.  Four studies are proposed
that collectively employ multiple research methods, including interviews
with older and younger subjects about their preferences for and selection
of social partners; videotaped emotion induction procedures with an
examination age-differences in the duration and intensity of expressed
emotion and ratings of emotion expression as perceived by others; direct
observation of same-aged and mixed-aged dyadic interaction in the
laboratory; and time-sampling of activities and affect in naturalistic
settings.  Despite continued disagreement about the meaning of lowered
rates of social interaction common in old age, the basic finding of an
ontogenetic reduction in rates of interaction remains undisputed.  As we
face a rapidly aging population, it is more essential than ever to
understand the meaning and the mechanisms responsible for these reductions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3120564
- **Project number:** 1R01AG008816-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** HJD6G4D6TJY5
- **Principal Investigator:** LAURA L CARSTENSEN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1990
- **Award amount:** $173,968
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 1990-09-01 → 1994-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3120564

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3120564, SOCIAL INTERACTION IN OLD AGE (1R01AG008816-01A1). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3120564. Licensed CC0.

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