Shifting sociality during primate ageing

Humans exhibit major age-related shifts in social relationships along with changes in social and emotional psychological processes that underpin these behavioral shifts. Does social aeging in nonhuman primates follow similar patterns, and if so, what are the ultimate evolutionary consequences of these social shifts? Here we synthesize empirical evidence for shifts in social behavior and underlying psychological processes across species. Focusing on three elements of social behavior and cognition that are important for humans—propensities to engage with others, the positive versus negative valence of these interactions, and capabilities to influence others, we find evidence for wide variation in the trajectories of these characteristics across primates. Based on this, we identify potential modulators of the primate social ageing process, including social organization, sex, and dominance status. Finally, we discuss how comparative research can contextualize human social ageing.