Researchers set up a new study where they analysed over 2,100 adults from the long-running MIDUS project (Midlife in the United States). They built a measure called cumulative social advantage, combining the warmth of your childhood home, the support you feel from friends and family, your engagement with your community, and whether faith or religious groups play an active role in your life. Then they asked a simple question with a technical answer: Do people with more of this social advantage actually age more slowly?
“Cumulative social advantage is really about the depth and breadth of your social connections over a lifetime,” said lead author Anthony Ong.
Cumulative social advantage makes your body younger
Instead of asking people how old they feel, the team used epigenetic clocks based on patterns of DNA methylation. These clocks are among the best tools we have to estimate biological age and predict future disease risk.
Higher cumulative social advantage was linked to slower biological ageing. People with richer, more stable social ties tended to look biologically younger than their actual age. They also had lower levels of interleukin 6, a pro-inflammatory molecule connected to heart disease, diabetes, and neurodegeneration.
Long-term wear and tear, not everyday stress
You might expect people with stronger relationships to show lower levels of everyday stress hormones. Interestingly, that was not the case. Short-term markers like overnight cortisol and catecholamines did not differ much with social advantage.
This suggests that the real power of relationships lies in long-term wear and tear rather than in smoothing every stressful day. The authors argue that social resources are “embedded in the physiological pathways that shape ageing and health” by influencing slower-moving systems such as chronic inflammation and epigenetic change.
Why the social ride may matter more than you think
A key message from this study is that relationships accumulate. Ong puts it simply: “What is striking is the cumulative effect, these social resources build on each other over time. It is not just about having friends today; it is about how your social connections have grown and deepened throughout your life. That accumulation shapes your health trajectory in measurable ways.”
Cycling can be a great tool to help you build that kind of social advantage. Weekly club rides, regular training partners and shared goals all add up. Volunteering at events, welcoming new riders or supporting injured club mates all deepen that sense of belonging.
But let’s be honest, cycling also attracts people who like to be alone and use the bike to get away from things and clear their heads. That is the beauty of it, and you shouldn’t feel pressured to change that if that is how you enjoy riding. In fact, riding solo can give you the stress relief and headspace you need to come back and feel ready to invest in your relationships and keep them strong.
