Abstract We analyze the causal effect of retirement on individual social relationships using data from Survey Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. find that changes composition individual’s network, inducing a substitution between weak (friends or colleagues) strong ties (family), along with an increase intensity surviving ties, there is no network’s size. These are associated higher satisf...

In Italy young people leave home at a high age. After leaving, they usually live close to their parents and receive strong support from them (both material and affective). These behaviours are not homogenously spread across the country and important regional differences can be found. According to the familistic theoretical approach, such patterns come from strong intergenerational ties. Proximi...

In social evolution theory, it has become common wisdom that close family ties should promote cooperative behaviour. Yet, in social insects, evidence is accumulating that queen promiscuity and low relatedness sometimes work better.