LONELINESS, SOCIAL ISOLATION, AND SOCIAL REWARD IN THE AGING POPULATION: EXAMINING INTERVENTIONS, MECHANISMS, AND OUTCOMES

Abstract The global epidemic of loneliness and social isolation has health consequences that rival those of smoking and obesity. Older adults are at particularly high risk for loneliness, due to age-related declines in functioning and reduction in social networks. There is a need to further understand the effects of loneliness on cognitive, mental, and physical health in older adults; identify the underlying neural and behavioral mechanisms of social isolation; and develop interventions targeting deficits in these mechanisms. In this session, Ellen Lee, M.D. will examine loneliness and its influence on cognitive, mental and physical health in a healthy aging population, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Kimberly Van Orden, Ph.D. will present results from her clinical trial of a novel social engagement intervention for loneliness in older adults. Nili Solomonov, Ph.D. will present preliminary findings from a novel neurobiological social reward task aimed to assess neural processing of social rewards on a behavior and neural level, and its association with response to psychotherapies for late-life depression. Martha Bruce, Ph.D. will moderate and lead a discussion on the findings presented in these studies and their clinical implications.