Emotional support networks among men shrink by 50% between the ages of 30 and 90, reflecting an average decrease from two to one emotional support providers, according to research published in Psychology & Aging.

Research consistently shows that social networks tend to shrink with age. Emotional support, defined as providing comfort and understanding, is essential for well-being, particularly in older adults, where it predicts better cognitive health, emotional stability, and life expectancy. Past studies demonstrate that general social network contraction occurs globally and across genders. However, whether the decline extends to the most intimate forms of support is debated.

Motivated by frameworks like socioemotional selectivity theory, which proposes that older adults strategically prioritize close relationships, and theories emphasizing emotional independence with age, Kate Petrova and colleagues aimed to clarify how emotional support networks evolve and identify early predictors of their size.

This study utilized a unique longitudinal dataset drawn from a sample of 235 men who were originally recruited as Harvard University students between 1939 and 1942. These participants were followed for 71 years, with data collected at regular intervals to assess changes in their emotional suppor