The impact of stress on facial expression and social networks in older adults

Better mental and physical health in later-life is associated with larger social networks and better social cohesion (Diendl et al, 2016). Older adults with larger social networks have better cognitive functioning (Sorman et al, 2017), get more exercise (Loprinzi and Joiner, 2016), feel less lonely and are less likely to be depressed (Domenech-Abella et al., 2017). Older adults, however, have significantly smaller social networks than younger adults (Dickens and Perlmann, 1981). It is possible that older adults have difficulty extending or maintaining a supportive social network through social interaction. Adults may find social communication with others more difficult as they age, and/or the physical and social stress associated with ageing might impact upon the ability to communicate with others. We know that stress affects facial expression recognition (Daudelin-Peltier et al, 2017), but we don't know how it affects facial expression production within spontaneous social interaction. To understand the link between real-world patterns of friendship in society and the underlying psychological and biological causal mechanisms of friendship formation, we need to take an interdisciplinary perspective. First, we will assess the relationship between stress, health, region and social networks in older adults using existing ESRC datasets (The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing). Second, we will conduct a laboratory based experiment to investigate the biologically based emotional and communicative mechanisms that underpin individual differences in the ability to form and maintain friendships. We will assess the impact of physical and social stress (using established psychophysiological methods) on facial muscle expressivity during social interaction in older adults. Facial muscle movement will be recorded using a sensitive anatomically based observational tool (FACS, Facial Action Coding System: Ekman et al, 2002). The findings will help target interventions to facilitate friendship formation in older adults and also help better understand the mechanisms of social interaction and friendship.