My dissertation adopts a structural perspective to examine the implications of various forms of social connectedness for well-being across three distinct contexts. This dissertation is motivated by the observation that social network ties and relationships profoundly shape individuals’ quality of life, but that some of the most consequential features, and evolving and waning forms have yet to be incorporated into frameworks for understanding the importance of social integration and regulation for well-being, such as the intricacies of virtual intimacy and the shifting nature of family interactions. This dissertation considers the role of social connectedness in their highly structured and regularized forms in three different contexts and places particular emphasis on understanding the diverse meanings that social contexts impart to the impact of these relationships on well-being, particularly when there is low integration and regulation. The first chapter examines the structural features of interpersonal connections and the mental health implications of lacking cohesive networks in later life. I focus on social network bridging, which refers to ties to people who are otherwise disconnected from each other and implies a lack of embeddedness in cohesive networks. Using data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), a population-based, longitudinal study of community-residing older adults in the United States, I find that bridging across disparate social domains, particularly between kin and non-kin members, is associated with increased depressive symptoms in later life, especially among younger generations. The second chapter addresses the role of temporally paralleled activity sequences in forming generic affiliations between individuals. It argues that synchrony in individuals’ activity schedules can provide opportunities for fostering social influence and enhancing integration within groups, which is particularly beneficial for health during challenging periods. Analyzing detailed time diary data from the 2021 and 2022 American Time Use Surveys and employing social sequence analysis, I identify six clusters of paid and unpaid work activity patterns. I find that individuals tend to report worse general health, cognitive difficulties, and lower life satisfaction if they follow more unstructured and unregulated activity patterns, and these detrimental effects of irregularity in daily life are exacerbated with increased solitary time. The final chapter introduces a novel account of social connectedness, and virtual intimacy, and discusses the widespread privatization and monetization of emotional support through the purchase of virtual intimacy in China’s burgeoning live-streaming industry. Drawing on observational data from the Douyin live-streaming platform and semi-structured interviews with 55 streamers, patrons, and promoters, I propose the notion of “earmarking of emotions,” to elucidate how virtual gifts are imbued with emotional valence within the specific category of intimacy that is carefully orchestrated by streamers for patrons to express social aspirations and soothe feelings of social inferiority. By investigating gender and status dynamics in the relational work framework, this study uncovers complex structural layers of (heterosexual)intimacy-seeking and status-building in a highly mobile virtual space, offering insights into the growing market for emotional exchanges and their role in supplying emotional services needs in contemporary China, particularly when traditional relationship structures fall short.