Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the release of a special issue of /Advances in Life Course Research/, /“//Networked Lives: Probing the Influence of Social Networks on the Life Course/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/advances-in-life-course-research/special-issue/10FZTPJD3T7/.”/

The special issue connects the fields of life course and social network research, stimulates productive dialog between them, and illustrates the power of this intersection for advancing theories, concepts, methods, and data.

Nine articles by renowned authors of both fields address cutting edge questions on mechanisms of personal network dynamics and the impact of relationships and networks in different phases of the life course. Topics include status attainment, health and well-being, homogeneity in friendships, internet use and social connectedness and the significance of unlinked lives. Two commentaries by Marlis Buchmann and Peter V. Marsden complete the issue with reflections on current challenges and promising directions.

A selection of articles, asterisked below*, are currently open or full-text access.

All best wishes,

/Betina, Rick, Dario and Mattia//, Editors

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*TABLE OF CONTENTS

“Networked Lives: Probing the Influence of Social Networks on the Life Course” *Special Issue of */Advances in Life Course Research/*/ Editors: Betina Hollstein, Richard. A. Settersten, Jr., Dario Spini & Mattia Vacchiano

*/=open or currently full-text access

/Introduction/

*Networked Lives: Probing the influence of social networks on the life course https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2024.100590 /Mattia Vacchiano, Betina Hollstein, Richard A. Settersten, Jr. & Dario Spini / /Research articles/

*”Unlinked lives”: Elaboration of a concept and its significance for the life course https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2023.100583 /Richard A. Settersten Jr., Betina Hollstein & Kara McElvaine / *Personal network dynamics across the life course: A relationship-related structural approach https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2023.100567 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2023.100567/Betina Hollstein / Interconnected social convoys: Understanding health and well-being through linked personal networks https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2023.100541 /Laura M. Koehly & Jasmine A. Manalel / *Multilevel networks and status attainment https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2022.100479 /Mattia Vacchiano, Emmanuel Lazega & Dario Spini / When life happens: A multidimensional approach to studying the effects of major life events on relationship change https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2022.100501 /Chang Z. Lin & Alexandra Marin / Linked lives and convoys of social relations https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2022.100502 /Noah J. Webster, Toni C. Antonucci & Kristine J. Ajrouch / Life course transitions and changes in network ties among younger and older adults https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2022.100478 /Jordan Weiss, Leora Lawton & Claude S. Fischer / *“Birds of a feather” – forever? Homogeneity in adult friendship networks through the life course https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2022.100498 /Beate Völker / Internet use and cohort change in social connectedness among older adults https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2022.100514 /Shannon Ang / /Commentaries/

*Bridging social network and life course research: Unlocking the analytical potential https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2024.100591 /Marlis Buchmann / On integrating social network and life course research https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2024.100592* */Peter V. Marsden

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