Abstract
Humanity is facing an increasing burden of chronic disease and an ageing population that will lead to more years lived with disability. Dealing with these issues is difficult, especially if we consider the deterioration of social ties and the decline in social connectedness, which may also impact on health and wellbeing. However, research on the association between social ties and health outcomes has been characterized by conceptual difficulties, controversy and simplistic models. Here, we review the literature on the associations between social ties and health outcomes, identify mechanisms through which these associations may arise and propose a model on which future research activity could be based.< Back to publications