Alright, we know that studies have shown people with a larger social network tend to life longer. Recently, researcher from Brigham Young University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reviewed data from 148 studies on health outcomes and social relationships. These studies included better than 300,000 people -- so this is not a small group study.
Researcher found that those with fewer social connections had a 50% increased risk of dying in study's follow-up period (averaging 7.5 years) than those with a larger social network.
Cool, huh? Yeah, I thought so but here's the really interesting part:
That is the same life expectancy difference (poor social connections vs. more robust social ties) as the life expectancy between smokers and non-smokers! And it is a greater difference than known health risk factors such as obesity or lack of exercise.
Wow! Looks like we should be paying attention to our friends if we want them (and ourselves) to live a longer life!
For more information, click here.
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