Retirement’s role in social connections and connectedness: a systematic review

Social connections and social connectedness, or the quantity and quality of individuals’ social relationships, are central determinants of healthy aging. Both may be affected by retirement. Although a growing body of research addresses this topic, it is unclear whether retirement has positive or negative effects on social connections and/or connectedness. We therefore systematically searched Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed in March 2024. Seventeen studies were included in this review. Data were extracted and analyzed narratively, and studies critically appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Of the 17 included studies, most (n = 13) found that the effect of retirement on social connections and/or connectedness differed across the outcomes and/or subgroups they examined. Studies of social connections (e.g. network size, participation) typically found that peripheral or professional ties declined, but were replaced by family or community ones. Studies of social connectedness (e.g., loneliness, perceived support) reported that retirement’s impact varied by sub-group, including gender and socio-economic status, with disadvantaged socio-economic groups and men generally experiencing weaker connectedness. Studies of both social connections and connectedness often observed compensatory effects, where fewer ties were associated with greater perceived support. Existing evidence does not support a uniformly positive or negative impact of retirement on social connections and/or connectedness. Instead, study findings depended on how social relationships were conceptualized and measured, as well as on the characteristics of retirees.