Wired for Connection: The Health Impact of Social Ties

Social connection is more than a feel-good concept—it’s a cornerstone of community resilience and public health. In this episode of Aging Fast & Slow, Dr. Thomas Cudjoe of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine discusses the science behind social ties, how isolation undermines both individual and community well-being, and what it takes to build stronger, more connected neighborhoods. Join us for a conversation that sheds light on the power of human connection to foster healthier, more resilient communities.

REFERENCES:

• Cudjoe TKM, Boyd CM, Wolff JL, Roth DL. ⁠Advance care planning: Social isolation matters⁠. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 April.
• Cudjoe TKM, Kotwal AA. ⁠Social distancing amid a crisis in social isolation and loneliness⁠. J Am Geri Soc 2020 May 20.
• Cudjoe TKM, Roth DL, Szanton SL, Wolff JL, Boyd CM, Thorpe Jr., RJ. ⁠The epidemiology of social isolation: National Health & Aging Trends Study⁠. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2020 Jan 1.
• Cudjoe TKM, Selvakumar S, Chung S, Latkin CA, Roth DL, Thorpe Jr., RJ, Boyd CM. (2021). ⁠Getting under the Skin: Social isolation and biological markers in the National Health and Aging Trends Study⁠. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
• Golden SH, Cudjoe TKM, Galiatsatos P, Brownlee D, Flanagan E, Crews DC, Maruthur N, Brown M, Ashby A, Hellmann DB, Knox T, Anderson ME. ⁠A perspective on the Baltimore Freddie Gray riots: Turning tragedy into civic engagement and culture change in an academic department of medicine⁠. Acad Med. 2018 December.