Making friends in the golden years: Making friends after 50 requires some effort, but a sizable social network can benefit individual well-being into one’s golden years

Aging and change go hand in hand. Physical changes associated with aging, such as graying hair or reduced muscle mass, may garner the most attention. But personal relationships also can change as people age.

As a person ages, interests could change and home base may not be what it once was. People move after retirement, and friends you might once have seen with frequency may no longer be as close by. Children are older, and the friends you made from these early parenthood relationships may change as well.

It is important to have a solid group of friends. Psychology Today reports that a strong social network reduces the risk of early death by around 45 percent. Recent data even indicates that loneliness is as great a health risk as smoking half a pack of cigarettes per day. Starting fresh and making friends at 50 or older might seem challenging. Although making new friends after 50 may take more effort than it did when you were younger, it is certainly not impossible. Here are some tips for making friends after 50.

• Join a networking group. Networking isn’t just for advancing your career. Networking groups that focus on friendships can help individuals meet one another. Perhaps there is a neighborhood group in which people from a particular housing development or several streets in town get together? Shared interests can include the place where you live.
• Organize a get-together. Sometimes making friends involves effort on your part. You might need to step out of your comfort zone and initiate first contact with others. Maybe there is a person at a store you run into frequently, or someone whose path you cross regularly that can be asked out to a get-together?
• Get involved with activities. A church group or a volunteer activity can be a great place to meet new people. In fact, volunteers often get involved for the express purpose of getting to know others and to be integral members of the community.
• Consider other generations. Friends need not be the same age and from the same generation. Keep an open mind that friends can come in all ages.

According to the Mayo Clinic, depression, anxiety, increased risk of suicide, and various chronic health problems are some of the outcomes associated with loneliness. That’s a troubling assessment that becomes even more disconcerting when considering a general decline in socialization as evidenced by the 2021 American Perspectives Survey. Survey participants indicated they have fewer close friendships than they once did, speak with their friends less often and rely less on friends for personal support. That’s challenging for adults of all ages, but it can be especially difficult for aging adults, who may be dealing with the loss of a spouse or other close confidantes they would otherwise rely on when confronting personal problems.

Hobbies that promote socialization can help aging adults reestablish friendships and build new ones, paying dividends that can have a profound impact on their overall health. With that in mind, adults who feel as though their social circles are shrinking in mid-life or in retirement can look to these activities as means to rebuilding their social lives.

• Book club: A book club offers multiple benefits to adults. Book clubs are inherently social and tend to bring like-minded individuals together, which can help build new and lasting friendships that extend beyond weekly discussions. A 2021 study published in the journal Neurology also linked regular reading to a lower risk of developing dementia.
• Sports: Sports provide another avenue to socialize with like-minded individuals. Golf is not a team sport, but it is typically played in groups of two or four, making it an ideal activity for adults with free time on their hands to get out and about and meet other people. Leagues for softball, bowling and pickleball also provide opportunities to socialize, and many adults are participating in such leagues for that very reason. A CivicScience study released in 2025 found that 49 percent of adults who planned to participate in adult recreational sports leagues were doing so for social interaction and the chance to make friends.
• Travel: Travel can provide another means for aging adults to make friends. Group tours to foreign countries, day trips to local attractions arranged by township recreational offices or even overseas trips with friends you’ve fallen out of touch with can be a great means to build new friendships and reinvigorate old ones, all the while getting you out of the house.

These are just some ways for men and women to get out of the house and socialize with others their age, a worthy endeavor that can be highly beneficial to adults’ overall health.