Overview

• Researchers examined 2,117 U.S. adults in the MIDUS study, finding higher lifetime social resources associated with younger biological age on GrimAge and DunedinPACE.
• Cumulative social advantage combined parental warmth, adult emotional support, and community or religious involvement into a single life-course measure.
• Participants with greater social advantage showed lower levels of interleukin-6, a pro‑inflammatory marker tied to cardiometabolic and neurodegenerative risk.
• No significant associations emerged with short-term stress markers such as urinary cortisol, suggesting the signal reflects chronic processes rather than acute stress.
• The peer-reviewed paper in Brain, Behavior & Immunity – Health emphasizes observational evidence with modest effect sizes, notes unequal access to supportive networks, and points to public-health benefits of strengthening relationships across life.