Mental exercising through simple socializing: Social interaction promotes general cognitive functioning

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Volumn 34, Issue 2, 2008, Pages 248-259

  Ybarra, Oscar ^a   Burnstein, Eugene ^b   Winkielman, Piotr ^c   Keller, Matthew C ^d   Manis, Melvin ^a   Chan, Emily ^e   Rodriguez, Joel ^f  

^a UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW   (Poland)

^c UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

^d UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO   (United States)

^e Department of Psychology

^f FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION   (United States)

Author keywords

Cognitive performance; Executive function; Group living; Mental exercise; Social intelligence; Socializing

Indexed keywords

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; AGED; ARTICLE; CLINICAL TRIAL; CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL; CONTROLLED STUDY; HUMAN; HUMAN RELATION; INFORMATION PROCESSING; INTERVIEW; MIDDLE AGED; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL; SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; THINKING; UNITED STATES;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; AGED; AGED, 80 AND OVER; DATA COLLECTION; HUMANS; INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS; INTERVIEWS AS TOPIC; MIDDLE AGED; SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; THINKING; UNITED STATES;

EID: 38349074449     PISSN: 01461672     EISSN: 15527433     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0146167207310454     Document Type: Article

References (85)

1. Adolphs, R. (2001). The neurobiology of social cognition. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 11, 231-239.
2. Amodio, D.M., & Frith, C.D. (2006). Meeting of minds: the medial frontal cortex and social cognition. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 7, 268-277.
3. Anderson, J.R. (1993). Rules of the mind. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
4. Arbuckle, T.Y., Gold, D.P., Andres, D., Schwartzman, A., & Chaikelson, J. (1992). The role of psychosocial context, age, and intelligence in memory performance of older men. Psychology and Aging, 7, 25-36.
5. Aries, P. (1962). Centuries of childhood: A social history of family (Robert Baldick, Trans.). New York: Knopf.
6. Baddeley, A.D. (2002). Fractionating the central executive. In D. Stuss & R. T. Knight (Eds.), Principles of frontal lobe function (pp. 246-260). New York: Oxford University Press.
7. Barash, D.P. (1986). Sociobiology and behavior. New York: Elsevier.
8. Baron-Cohen, S., & Ring, H. (1994). The relationship between EDD and ToM: Neuropsychological and neurobiological perspectives. In P. Mitchell & C. Lewis (Eds.), Origins of an understanding of mind (pp. 183-207). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
9. Bassuk, S.S., Glass, T.A., & Berkman, L.F. (1999). Social disengagement and incident cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly persons. Annals of Internal Medicine, 131, 165-173.
10. Baumeister, R.F. (2005). The cultural animal: Human nature, meaning, and social life. New York: Oxford University Press.
11. Baumeister, R.F., DeWall, C.N., Ciarocco, N.J., & Twenge, J.M. (2005). Social exclusion impairs self-regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 589-604.
12. Baumeister, R.F., & Leary, M.R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 11, 497-529.
13. Baumeister, R.F., Twenge, J.M., & Nuss, C. (2002). Effects of social exclusion on cognitive processes: Anticipated aloneness reduces intelligent thought. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 817-827.
14. Bennet, E.L., Rosenzweig, M.R., & Diamond, M.C. (1969). Rat brain: Effects of environmental enrichment on wet and dry weights. Science, 163, 825-826.
15. Blumberg, H.P., Stern, E., Ricketts, S., Martinez, D., de Asis, J., White, T., et al. (1999). Rostral and orbital prefrontal cortex dysfunction in the manic state of bipolar disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 1986-1988.
16. Brunet, E., Sarfati, Y., Hardy-Bayle, M.C., & Decety, J. (2000). A PET investigation of the attribution of intentions with a nonverbal task. Neuroimage, 11, 157-166.
17. Cartwright, D., & Zander, A. (1953). Group dynamics: Research and theory. Evanston, IL: Row, Peterson.
18. Chance, M.R.A. (1988). Social fabrics of the mind. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
19. Craik, F.I.M., & Byrd, M. (1982). Aging and cognitive deficits: The role of attentional resources. In F. I. M. Craik & S. Trehub (Eds.), Aging and cognitive processes (pp. 191-211). New York: Plenum.
20. Cummins, R.A. (1973). Environmentally-induced changes in the brains of elderly rats. Nature, 243, 516-518.
21. Damasio, A.R. (1994). Descartes' error: Emotion, reason, and the human brain. New York: Putnam.
22. Draganski, B., Gaser, C., Busch, V., Schuierer, G., Bogdahn, U., & May, A. (2004). Neuroplasticity: changes in grey matter induced by training. Nature, 427, 311 - 312.
23. Dunbar, R.I.M. (1992) Neocortex size as a constraint on group size in primates. Journal of Human Evolution, 20, 469-493.
24. Dunbar, R.I.M. (1995). Neocortex size and group size in primates: A test of the hypothesis. Journal of Human Evolution, 28, 287-296.
25. Dunbar, R.I.M. (1998). The social brain hypothesis. Evolutionary Anthropology, 6, 178-190.
26. Dunbar, R.I.M., Marriott, A., & Duncan, N.D.C. (1997). Human conversational behavior. Human Nature, 8, 231-246.
27. Fabrigoule, C., Letenneur, L., Dartigues, J.F., Zarrouk, M., Commenges, D., & Barberger-Gateau, P. (1995). Social and leisure activities and risk of dementia: A prospective longitudinal study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 43, 485-490.
28. Finkel, E.J., Campbell, W.K., Brunell, A.B., Dalton, A.N., Scarbeck, S.J., & Chartrand, T.L. (2006). High maintenance interaction: Inefficient coordination impairs self-regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 456-475.
29. Fletcher, P.C., Happe, F., Frith, U., Baker, S.C., Dolan, R.J., Frackowiak, R.S., et al. (1995). Other minds in the brain: A functional imaging study of "theory of mind " in story comprehension. Cognition, 57, 109-128.
30. Folstein, M., Folstein, S., & McHugh, P. (1975). Mini-mental state: A practical method for grading the mental state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189-198.
31. Fratiglioni, L., Wand, H., Ericsson, K., Maytan, M., & Winblad, B. (2000). Influence of social network on occurrence of dementia: A community-based longitudinal study. Lancet, 355, 1315-1319.
32. Frith C.D., & Frith, U. (1999). Interacting minds-A biological basis. Science, 286, 1692-1695.
33. Gardner, W.L., Pickett, C.L., & Knowles, M. (2005). Social snacking and shielding: Using social symbols, selves, and surrogates in the service of belonging needs. In K. D. Williams, J. P. Forgas, & W. V. Hippel (Eds.), The social outcast: Ostracism, social exclusion, rejection, and bullying (pp. 227-242). New York: Psychology Press.
34. Gilbert, D.T., Pelham, B.W., & Krull, D.S. (1988). On cognitive busyness: When person perceivers meet persons perceived. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 733-740.
35. Gladstone, G.L., Parker, G.B., Malhi, G.S., & Wilhelm, K.A. (2007). Feeling unsupported? An investigation of depressed patients' depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 103, 147-154.
36. Heider, F. (1958). The psychology of interpersonal relations. New York: John Wiley.
37. House, J.S. (1986). The survey of Americans' changing lives [Data file]. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research.
38. House, J.S., Landis, K.R., & Umberson, D. (1988). Social relationships and health. Science, 241, 540-545.
39. Humphrey, N.K. (1976). The social function of intellect. In P. P. G. Bateson & R. A. Hinde (Eds.), Growing points in ethology (pp. 303-317). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
40. Jolly, A. (1966). Lemur social behavior and primate intelligence. Science, 153, 501-506.
41. Kiecolt-Glaser, J., Garner, W., Speicher, C., Penn, G., & Glaser, R. (1984). Psychosocial modifiers of immunocompetence in medical students. Psychosomatic Medicine, 46, 7-14.
42. Kling, A., & Steklis, H.D. (1976). A neural substrate for affiliative behavior in nonhuman primates. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 13, 216-238.
43. Kling, A.S. (1986). Neurological correlates of social behavior. Ethology and Sociobiology, 7, 175-186.
44. Kondo, K., & Yamashita, I. (1990). A case-control study of Alzheimer's disease in Japan: Association with inactive psychosocial behaviors. In K. Hasegawa & A. Homma (Eds.), Psychogeriatrics: Biochemical and social advances (pp. 49-53). Amsterdam: Excerpta Medics.
45. Lieberman, M.D., Gaunt, R., Gilbert, D.T., & Trope, Y. (2002). Reflection and reflexion: A social cognitive neuroscience approach to attributional inference. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 34, 199-249.
46. Lipkind, D., Nottebohm, F., Rado, R., & Barnea, A. (2002). Social change affects the survival of new neurons in the forebrain of adult songbirds. Behavioural Brain Research, 133, 31-43.
47. Lomassese, S.S., Strambi, C., Strambi, A., Charpin, P., Augier, R., Aouane, A., et al. (2000). Influence of environmental stimulation on neurogenesis in the adult insect brain. Journal of Neurobiology, 45, 162-171.
48. McGuire, M.T., & Raleigh, M.J. (1986). Behavioral and physiological correlates of ostracism. Ethology and Sociobiology, 7, 187-200.
49. McNamara, P., McLaren, D., Smith, D., Brown, A., & Stickgold, R. (2005). A "Jekyll and Hyde" within: Aggressive versus friendly interactions in REM and non-REM dreams. Psychological Science, 16, 130-136.
50. McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., & Brashears, M.E. (2006). Discussion networks over two decades. American Sociological Review, 71, 353-375.
51. Mead, G.H. (1934). Mind, self and society from the standpoint of the social behaviorist. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
52. Menzel, E.W., Davenport, R.K., & Rogers, C.M. (1970). The development of tool-using in wild-born and restriction-reared chimpanzees. Folia Primat, 12, 273-283.
53. Mitchell, J.P., Heatherton, T.F., & Macrae, C.N. (2002). Distinct neural systems subserve person and object knowledge. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 99, 15238-15243.
54. Moll, J., de Oliveira-Souza, R., Bramati, I.E., & Grafman, J. (2002). Functional networks in emotional moral and nonmoral social judgments. Neuroimage, 16, 696-703.
55. Muraven, M., & Baumeister, R.F. (2000). Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: Does self-control resemble a muscle? Psychological Bulletin, 126, 247-259.
56. Myers, R.E., Swett, C., & Miller, M. (1973). Loss of social group affinity following prefrontal lesions in free-ranging macaques. Brain Research, 64, 257-269.
57. Nielson, K.A., Langenecker, S.A., & Garavan, H. (2002). Differences in the functional neuroanatomy of inhibitory control across the adult life span. Psychology and Aging, 17, 56-71.
58. Olesen, P.J., Westerberg, H., & Klingberg, T. (2004). Increased prefrontal and parietal activity after training of working memory Nature Neuroscience, 7, 75-79.
59. Park, D.C. (2000). The basic mechanisms accounting for age-related decline in cognitive function. In D. C. Park & N. Schwarz (Eds.), Cognitive aging: A primer (pp. 3-22). Philadelphia: Psychology Press.
60. Park, D.C., Smith, A.D., Lautenschlager, G., Earles, J., Frieske, D., Zwahr, M., et al. (1996). Mediators of long-term memory performance across the life span. Psychology and Aging, 11, 621-637.
61. Posner, M.I., & Rothbart, M.K. (2005). Influencing brain networks: Implications for education. Trends in Cognitive Science, 9, 99-103.
62. Putnam, R.D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon & Schuster.
63. Richeson, J.A., & Trawalter, S. (2005). Why do interracial interactions impair executive function? A resource depletion account. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 934-947.
64. Richeson, J.A., Trawalter, S., & Shelton, N.J. (2005). African Americans' implicit racial attitudes and the depletion of executive function after interracial interactions. Social Cognition, 23, 336-352.
65. Royall, D.R., Lauterbach, E.C., Cummings, J.L., Reeve, A., Rummans, T.A., Kaufer, D.I., et al. (2002). Executive control function: A review of its promise and challenges for clinical research. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 14, 377 - 405.
66. Salthouse, T.A., & Babcock, R.L. (1991). Decomposing adult age differences in working memory. Developmental Psychology, 27, 763-776.
67. Sandeman, R., & Sandeman, D. (2000). " Impoverished" and "enriched" living conditions influence the proliferation and survival of neurons in crayfish brain. Journal of Neurobiology, 45, 215-226.
68. Schatz, J., Kramer, J.H., Ablin, A., & Matthay, K.K. (2000). Processing speed, working memory, and IQ: A developmental model of cognitive deficits following cranial radiation therapy. Neuropsychology, 14, 189-200.
69. Schooler, C., Mulatu, M.S., & Oates, G. (1999). The continuing effects of substantively complex work on the intellectual functioning of older workers. Psychology and Aging, 14, 483-506.
70. Seeman, T.E., Lusignolo, T.M., Albert, M., & Berkman, L. (2001). Social relationships, social support, and patterns of cognitive aging in healthy, high-functioning older adults: MacArthur studies of successful aging. Health Psychology, 20, 243-255.
71. Shallice, T. (1988). From neuropsychology to mental structure. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
72. Singley, M.K., & Anderson, J.R. (1989). Transfer of cognitive skill. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
73. Sinha, J.B.P., & Verma, J. (1990, July). Social support as a moderator of the relationship between allocentrism and psychological well-being. Paper presented at the Individualism-Collectivism Conference, Seoul, Korea.
74. Smith, E.E., & Jonides, J. (1999). Storage and executive processes in the frontal lobes. Science, 283, 1657-1661.
75. Smith, E.R. (1994). Procedural knowledge and processing strategies in social cognition. In R. S. Wyer Jr. & T. K. Srull (Eds.), Handbook of social cognition (2 nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 99-151). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
76. Stephan, W.G., & Stephan, C.W. (1985). Intergroup anxiety. Journal of Social Issues, 41, 157-175.
77. Stone, V.E., Baron-Cohen, S., & Knight, R.T. (1998). Frontal lobe contributions to theory of mind. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 10, 640-656.
78. Triandis, H.C., Bontempo, R., Betancourt, H., Bond, M., Leung, K., Brenes, K., et al. (1986). The measurement of etic aspects of individualism and collectivism across cultures. Australian Journal of Psychology, 38, 257-267.
79. Trope, Y. (1986). Identification and inferential processes in dispositional attribution. Psychological Review, 93, 239-257.
80. Verghese, J., Lipton, R.B., Katz, M.J., Hall, C.B., Derby, C.A., Kuslansky, G., et al. (2003). Leisure activities and the risk of dementia in the elderly. New England Journal of Medicine, 348, 2508-2516.
81. Whalley, L. (2001). The aging brain. New York: Columbia University Press.
82. Wilson, R.S., Krueger, K.R., Arnold, S.E., Schneider, J.A., Kelly, J.F., Barnes, L.L., et al. (2007). Loneliness and risk of Alzheimer disease. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64, 234-240.
83. Wilson, R.S., Mendes de Leon, C.F., Barnes, L.L., Schneider, J.A., Bienias, J.L., Evans, D.A., et al. (2002). Participation in cognitively stimulating activities and risk of incident of Alzheimer disease. Journal of the American Medical Association, 287, 742-748.
84. Wojciszke, B., Bazinska, R., & Jaworski, M. (1998). On the dominance of moral categories in impression formation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 1251-1263.
85. Ybarra, O., Chan, E., & Park, D. (2001). Young and old adults' concerns about morality and competence. Motivation and Emotion, 25, 85-100.