Abstract
Weak social ties represent relationships with acquaintances as opposed to family or close friends, and are characterized by infrequent contact, low emotional intensity, and limited intimacy. Past research has shown that weak social ties are associated with better subjective well-being and other positive outcomes. However, no research has examined how weak social ties are associated with cognition among older adults. The current study draws on social capital theory to investigate: 1) whether social interactions with acquaintances are associated with cognition (i.e., mental status and memory) among older adults aged 60 years and over, and 2) how such interactions affect older adults’ cognition changes over time. Data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, 2011–2015) are analyzed (N = 5,461), using multilevel growth modeling. Controlling for age, time, gender, marital status, educational attainment, geographic residence, household expenditures, and health conditions (i.e., depressive symptoms and subjective well-being), the higher frequency of weak tie contact increases scores of mental status by 0.15 units (p <.05) over 4 years. The results show that social interactions with peripheral members of social network may prevent cognition decline for older Chinese, above and beyond the benefits of interactions with their close friends and family. Greater attention on the role of contact with acquaintances might offer practical implications for dementia prevention and health promotion for the general older population.