Living 100 Mindset | Relationships

As we age...

Talking openly about money helps us save and spend wisely.

The Impact

Family support can boost mental and physical health.

Research shows family support reduces depressive symptoms associated with discrimination and everyday stress in African American men..

Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2018

When our intimate relationships are going well, we do better at work.

Research shows the absence of troubles at home gives people greater emotional, cognitive, and physical vigor at work, leading to improved outcomes related to income, promotion, and job satisfaction.

Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 2014

Good, close relationships need to be cultivated intentionally.

The amount of time spent in the company of our friends, extended family, and children plateaus by our mid-50s. From age 40 until death, we tend to become more isolated.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015

The Takeaway

Get closer to your close ones.

Advice from Real People

"I write my grandmother every month. She just loves beautiful cards, and sending them is delightful for me. It’s deepened our relationship."

"My childhood friends and I text each other one question: What’s something that made you excited recently? Having this one simple habit makes it easy for us to stay involved in each others’ lives."

"Every Saturday morning I do a group video chat with my family in Bahrain and Canada. I hold myself to it, even when I’m busy. It always grounds me and makes me feel close to them.”

The Research

Good, close relationships in later years keep us healthy.

“ The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80.”

Robert Waldinger, Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, 2015

A happy marriage helps us weather life's ups and downs.

“For both men and women, marital satisfaction buffered day-to-day links between poorer perceived health and a decline in happiness, but time spent with others did not.”

Psychology and Aging, 2010

Loneliness is more damaging to our health than obesity.

“ Research on the risks of loneliness and social isolation is similar to that of research on obesity 3 decades ago. Current evidence indicates that heightened risk for mortality from a lack of social relationships is greater than that from obesity.”

Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2015.

How Does Living 100 Change the Way We Connect?

AARP traveled to six cities across the country to truly understand how Americans feel about the possibility of living longer. We asked about their most hopeful thoughts and largest worries and what they think would make their community an even better place to work, live and play as people are living longer lives. What we heard is that relationships and connections are more than a fact of life. They are essential to aging well.

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