It’s often said that humans are social animals, but as a recent study in PLoS Medicine states,”The idea that a lack of social relationships is a risk factor for death is still not widely recognized by health organizations and the public.” That is, until two professors at BYU, Julianne Holt-Lunstad and Timothy Smith, analyzed data from 148 other studies on long-life and discovered that one of the keys to having a long and healthy life is maintaining a rich, full social life.
Not only is socializing important, it’s actually crucial. The effect of social contact is so great that it supersedes other life-shortening risk factors like obesity and not exercising, while low socializing is akin to behaviors such as alcoholism and smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. I guess I need to get out more, then.
“When someone is connected to a group and feels responsibility for other people, that sense of purpose and meaning translates to taking better care of themselves and taking fewer risks,” said Holt-Lunstad in a news release. Added Smith, “We take relationships for granted as humans — we’re like fish that don’t notice the water. That constant interaction is not only beneficial psychologically but directly to our physical health.”
Image: Old couple
Tags: relationships key to having a long and healthy life, health related to quality of relationships, relationships, socializing, human health, unusual health news, unusual medical news, PLoS Medicine, Brigham Young University, Timothy Smith, Julianne Holt-Lunstad