Social Activity Variety and Mental and Physical Health: Examining Psychological Pathways

Engagement in diverse activities is closely tied to health across adulthood. Researchers have suggested that those who participated in a variety of cognitive, physical, or social activities have better psychological well-being and cognitive functioning. Findings have further indicated that engaging in a variety of social activities (i.e., social activity variety) is strongly linked to high levels of cognitive functioning, more so than engaging in other types of activities. Yet, few studies have examined whether social activity variety is associated with mental or physical health benefits beyond non-social activity variety. In this dissertation, I examined the prospective relationship between social activity variety and health outcomes (depressive symptoms, mortality risk) in middle-aged and older adults using data from the national Health and Retirement Study. In the first two studies, I examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between social activity variety and depressive symptoms (Chapter 1), as well as the potential mediating role of purpose in life in this association (Chapter 2). The results found that high levels of social activity variety are associated with fewer concurrent and later depressive symptoms. Findings in the next study on the potential psychological mechanisms between social activity variety and depressive symptoms revealed that purpose life explains the relationship between social activity variety and depressive symptoms across three waves. Individuals who engaged in diverse social activities at Wave 1 were more likely to report high levels of purpose in life at Wave 2, which, in turn, was associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms at Wave 3. In the third study, I focused on a physical health-related outcome, studying whether social activity variety is related to mortality risk (Chapter 3). Findings revealed that individuals who engaged in a greater variety of social activities had a lower mortality risk compared to their less socially active peers. Building on the previous study on cognitive benefits of social activity variety, findings from this dissertation demonstrate that engagement in a great variety of social activities is associated with better mental health and longevity even after adjusting non-social activities. The dissertation extends the importance of an active social lifestyle and proposes that public health initiatives should focus on creating opportunities for diverse social engagement, particularly activities that can promote a sense of purpose in life.