Researchers from Michigan State University set to find out what impact of social technologies among older adults.

Countless studies have focused on the “digital divide” between the generations, analyzing the distance between seniors and technology. This study investigated social technology and how it affected the physical and mental health of older individuals.

Using the 2012 Health and Retirement Study, researchers analyzed the use of technology by 591 participants. The use of social technology was divided into the following five categories: email, social networks like Facebook and Twitter, online video or phone calls, online chatting like instant messaging and use of a smartphone.

Overall, seniors had mostly positive attitudes toward technology. Many of them said the technology saves time, increases flexibility in communication, is easy to use, is necessary and is always available. Some 70 percent where open to the idea of learning new technology, 95.6 percent were rated as somewhat satisfied with using technology for communication and 77.2 percent said using technology was not very difficult or not difficult at all. While many agreed technology is too expensive, too complicated and difficult to keep up with, the study showed the mental and physical health of those who used it was improved.

When using technology more often, seniors experienced less depression, were less lonely, had fewer chronic illnesses and were in overall better health.  

“The observation that social technology confers health benefits through decreases in loneliness is consistent with disparate literatures on technology use and health among older adults,” concluded William J. Chopik, PhD, and led author on the study. “The mediating link of loneliness clarifies the association between technology and mental health, which may help explain why some previous studies failed to find an association between the two. The current study also revealed that social technology has physical health benefits as well.”