Older adults who exercise or play sports with friends tend to feel less lonely — and this is true both for those doing it now and those who did it in the past.
Strongly supported
Multiple high-quality studies back this claim.
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Older adults who exercise or play sports with friends tend to feel less lonely — and this is true both for those doing it now and those who did it in the past.
See the technical phrasing
In older adults aged 65–84 years, participation in exercise or sports with friends is associated with reduced feelings of loneliness, with both current and past shared physical activity showing statistically significant negative associations (present: Estimate = -2.589, 95% CI [-3.183, -1.996]; past: Estimate = -1.444, 95% CI [-1.887, -0.997]), suggesting that social engagement during physical activity may support emotional well-being through mechanisms such as social bonding and positive interaction.
What the research says
Supports
1 study
Study: Social physical activity and sedentary behaviour as key determinants of humour expression and loneliness in older adults: a cross-sectional study using bayesian variable selection approach
This study provides evidence supporting the claim.
Contradicts
0 studies
Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies