Close Relationships Can Extend Life
Posted on 30. Jul, 2010 by Kay Williams in Health
A recent report published in a medical journal revealed that there is a strong connection between the number of years that a person lives and his or her close ties with people, be it with family or friends. Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad of Brigham Young University in Utah explained that the benefit of having close relationships with many people is similar to that of kicking off unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking.
Dr. Holt-Lunstad further added that our social networks are important not just for improving the quality of our lives but it also for helping us live longer. Throughout the course of our history, we have seen how human relationships were essential in every man or woman’s survival. We have always relied on others for support as well as for protection. No matter how advanced technological inventions may be for aiding humans to be independent, we will still need other humans to survive.
The study, which lasted for more than seven years, included 308,849 people. Dr. Holt-Lunstad and his team discovered that those with close family ties and strong connections with friends were fifty percent more likely to outlive others who have a smaller social network.
In addition, close contact with people not only help in issues of longevity but it also helps address issues of obesity, alcoholism and hypertension. Experts say that conditions such as these are in actuality public health problems that can effectively be addressed through effective social policies and strategies.
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