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People aged 50 and older find with poor or fair health are twice as likely to report not having any close friends. Data from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging found that friends can play a key role for people over the age of 50, but that those with mental or physical health problems can experience challenges in this area. [More]

If you want to cheer up a friend or loved one, consider giving them a small gift. Research suggests that gift giving may lift their mood faster and more effectively than a conversation. [More]

You’ve been invited to a party that you’re dreading. But you feel rude declining the invitation. But there’s good news: research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that people often overestimate the social consequences of saying no. [More]

Children who play well with peers when they are pre-school age have better mental health later in life. Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that the capacity to play well with other children, known as “peer play ability” has a protective effect on the mental health of a child. [More]

People may take fewer COVID-19 safety precautions and feel less vulnerable to infection when around friends. Researchers from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Spain were inspired to undertake the research after realising they felt safer when with close friends. [More]

Providing social support to others could be good for your health. A study published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity by researchers at Ohio State University found that those who have positive social relationships in which they are available to provide support to others had lower levels of inflammation. [More]

Evaluating the food choices made by their peers may improve the eating habits of young adolescents. A study in the United Arab Emirates found that asking adolescents to consciously evaluate the food choices made by their peers caused them to choose healthier foods. [More]

Teenagers who bully may be using aggression as a technique to climb the social ladder. Research from UC Davis published recently in the American Journal of Sociology found that teens who harass, bully or victimize their peers don’t always do this due to an unhealthy home environment or due to psychological problems, but out of a desire to strategically move up in a school’s social hierarchy. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology looked at whether friendship jealously can be a tool for maintaining friendships in the face of third party threats. “Friendships are massively important for health and happiness, and they can be threatened when our friends form new friendships or other relationships,” study author Jaimie Arona Krems told us. [More]

When it comes to selecting friends, children prefer those with the same accent as them. Researchers say understanding the psychology behind such choices helps understand and mitigate biases against others later in life. [More]