Olfaction in (Social) Context: The Role of Social Complexity in Trajectories of Older Adults' Olfactory Abilities.

ABSTRACT: Objectives: Olfaction is an important correlate of later-life health, including cognition and mortality risk. Environmental enrichment protects against olfactory decline, yet little research considers the social context as a source of sensory enrichment or stimulation. This study examines how exposure to social complexity (i.e., diversity or novelty in social networks and activities) shapes later-life olfaction. Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal ordered logit models analyze data from 1,447 older adults interviewed at Rounds 1 and 2 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. Results: Exposure to greater social complexity (larger social networks, greater network diversity) is associated with significantly better olfaction at baseline. Increases in ne

SUBMITTER: Goldman AW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10283156 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature