If people aged 55 and over are in good spirits, it is mainly because they are surrounded by their family and continue to maintain friendly ties. In fact, 92% of them maintain good relations with their family and are close to their children, whom they see at least once a week.
But the circle of closeness is not limited to the family. The results of this survey also reveal that local merchants represent the second source of contact for the elderly (78%), even ahead of neighbors (73%) and friends (70%). But the participants also admit that it is more difficult for them to meet new people than when they were younger. This observation is even more shared after 70 years. Moreover, nearly a third of the people questioned declared that they had no longer met new people. And that only the close entourage made it possible to enlarge the circle of their acquaintances.
“Aging well and being healthy only makes sense for seniors if they relate to others. Social ties play a major role in aging well and in preventing loss of autonomy. The social bond is the most effective of drugs”, recalls the sociologist Serge Guérin, in the report of the investigation.
Stay active to keep your spirits up
This survey also reveals that the 55 and over need to stay active to be fit and maintain their spirits. More than a third of them (36%) said that knowing the news keeps them up to date. A quarter of seniors aged 55 and over need to go out for entertainment (24%), travel (22%) or take part in joint activities, such as volunteering or joining an association (22%) .
This survey was carried out through face-to-face interviews on a national sample of 1,040 people aged 55 and over.
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