Like humans… Animals become less social as they age.

It is well known that humans tend to move towards social isolation as they age, but researchers have found that many animals experience the same feeling.

While a decrease in social interactions is considered negative for humans, it can have health benefits for animals, according to the British newspaper “The Guardian.”

Experts studying animals from wild deer to insects, monkeys, and birds have revealed a set of observations regarding the relationship between age and social bonds in the animal kingdom.

As the editor of a new series of 16 research papers published as a special issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Dr. Josh Firth from the University of Leeds said that studying how animals change their social behavior as they age has benefits, as scientists can often track the social behavior of animals throughout their life cycle and conduct experiments, which is difficult to do with humans.

In one study, researchers analyzed data from over 150 different species and found that the more social species live longer and have a longer reproductive capacity.

In another study, researchers analyzed data on house sparrows over a period of 6 years and found that older birds had smaller social circles and were less connected, as their peers of the same age died as they aged.

In contrast, a study conducted on tern birds revealed the contribution of genes to age-related social changes.

Benefits

While the decline of social bonds is often viewed as negative, at least for humans, it can also have benefits.

A model study based on observed social interactions in rhesus macaques found that the decline in social bonds among the animals could reduce the risk of diseases that were particularly severe for their age.
Another study, co-authored by Firth, which addressed parasitic worm infections in adult female red deer, reached similar conclusions.

Firth said, “Generally, you are more likely to get these pinworms as you get older, but you can offset that by not interacting with many individuals.”