[Zic]

Social ties help you live longer and happier?study | TheMedGuru

Good friends and a loving family can actually help enhance longevity and add years to your life, reveals a novel study.



People with healthy social bonds are more likely to live longer than those who are lonely.
For humans, social relationships are essential nutrients that enhance the quality of life, and the protective effect of such ties is equal to quitting smoking and drugs.
The study findings claim that strength of social relationships is highly essential for a good life and needs to be added to the list of public health concerns.
Researchers believe that in order to live longer and happier, one needs to lay emphasis on strengthening one’s social bonds.
"Foster existing relationships," Holt-Lunstad said. "Call a friend, get to know your neighbors, invite a colleague to lunch, or get together with family.”
Looking for opportunities to get to know others, getting involved in your community, and supporting others are important tips to nurture relationships.
Providing emotional support to others is associated with greater protection from mortality than receiving support.
The protective effect of having lots of healthy and fulfilling relationshipshttp://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=59436 is comparable to that of quitting smokinghttp://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11299, the study authors state.
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Could this imply that on average introverts die younger?

 

[Stand Alone]

Well of course it does, every introvert knows that other people drain their energy. Extroverts are mercilessly stealing our life essence with every smile.

 

[waterviolet]

It makes sense that people would give you a "purpose" for living.

 

[skycloud86]

Could this imply that on average introverts die younger?

As introverts can live quite happily without as much social interaction that extroverts require, I don't think it does. Besides, there are mild introverts/extroverts, ambiverts and others who are not strongly extroverted nor introverted.

 

[thewindlistens]

Could this imply that on average introverts die younger?

No, introverts are introverts because we NEED less interaction, not because we GET less interaction.

 

[Drea]

Introverts can have strong and long-lasting bonds with people. :dry: I think this study just means that if you're a complete recluse, you'll probably die younger.

 

[Miss Scarlet]

For what it's worth, owning a dog can also extend your life.

 

[thewindlistens]

Tobacco and alcohol can both also extend your life. So can arsenic and cyanide.

 

[PseudoSenator]

Introverts can have strong and long-lasting bonds with people. :dry: I think this study just means that if you're a complete recluse, you'll probably die younger.

*Starts downing bottles of water.*

 

[otto11]

For what it's worth, owning a dog can also extend your life.

For men in particular, a good woman extends it even more.

 

[Thrifty Walrus]

Why are people so obsessed with living for a long time? I really could care less as long as I live to 60 I'm good.

 

[xezene]

Human beings aren't meant to be alone all the time, look at why we travel in packs. We aren't asexual. This study is absolutely right, but pretty obvious if you ask me.

 

[katerp]

<Warning: mild rant ahead>

My (extrovert) mom sent me an article on this study a couple of months ago as if to say, "See! You have to go out with your friends this weekend or you'll be dead by Monday!" And that's one of the problems with the media today. Although I think it's great that people have access to such a vast amount of knowledge the fact is that the articles are written so just the most provocative stuff is reported and a lot of the important details of each study are left out (and really unless they've gone to school for some kind of discipline where you had to study experimental design and consume scientific research, most people won't even realize they're missing a lot of the story). I know my mother saw this article and interpreted it as "less social ties --> heart failure/ extreme depression/lack of will to live --> dying at age 50 surrounded by cats".

I looked at some research on this topic in a health psychology class I took last year and while that research did show that socially isolated people didn't live as long, it wasn't because they died of loneliness or anything like that. (And BTW all the participants in these studies are in their 70s or older, so they've already got an increased risk of dying. It's not 40-year-old hermits dropping dead from social isolation.) The only reason people with bigger social circles live longer is because it means in their old age when they're less able to get around they'll have people to encourage them to go to the doctor, drive them to the doctor, help them pick up prescriptions from the pharmacy, encourage them to excercise, help them cook healthy meals, etc. If at 80 you have a limited social circle but you are still able and internally motivated to live a healthy lifestyle and go to the doctor regularly, you'll live just as long as a sociable extrovert.



...</end rant>

 

[Blue Butterfly]

Tobacco and alcohol can both also extend your life. So can arsenic and cyanide.

That made me laugh.

My thoughts on the subject is that it would depend on the person. I think there are people that have a need to suck on the energy of others for their own survival. These people don't have the ability to get energy for themselves. So they use the social group to feed this need. Then there are others that are capable of getting their energy from within. I think these people need very little social contact. So it would depend on the persons strength or weakness. The strong can get their energy from within them self. These people are usually the targets of the energy vampires. The vampires will die if they can't suck on others energy so they need to socialize a lot to find their victims.

 

[DarklyValentine]

heh this sounds like a trick to get me too interact...dammit it worked

However surely everyone needs three proper friends
read that on the back of hp sauce bottle

 

[Ti Dominant]

Social ties help you live longer and happier?study | TheMedGuru

Good friends and a loving family can actually help enhance longevity and add years to your life, reveals a novel study.



People with healthy social bonds are more likely to live longer than those who are lonely.
For humans, social relationships are essential nutrients that enhance the quality of life, and the protective effect of such ties is equal to quitting smoking and drugs.
The study findings claim that strength of social relationships is highly essential for a good life and needs to be added to the list of public health concerns.
Researchers believe that in order to live longer and happier, one needs to lay emphasis on strengthening one’s social bonds.
"Foster existing relationships," Holt-Lunstad said. "Call a friend, get to know your neighbors, invite a colleague to lunch, or get together with family.”
Looking for opportunities to get to know others, getting involved in your community, and supporting others are important tips to nurture relationships.
Providing emotional support to others is associated with greater protection from mortality than receiving support.
The protective effect of having lots of healthy and fulfilling relationshipshttp://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=59436 is comparable to that of quitting smokinghttp://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11299, the study authors state.
---


Could this imply that on average introverts die younger?

Yeah, I remember reading about this a few years back.
Did you also know that religious people tend to have better mental health?

That would mean that I'm fairly fucked, given I'm a very staunch anti-social atheist with social anxiety, low interpersonal intelligence, and an inability to really keep up with my friends and family. I'm also not good at taking care of my body, since I'm too busy thinking!!!!!!! Plus, I don't like to sleep well all the time. I sometimes limit myself to 6 hours a night (which is barely the minimum to 'some' psychologists).

So perhaps I under-sleep on top of all of this. That would mean that I am truly fucked.
It seems I won't be around long......... DAMN YOU INTROVERSION AND REASON!

 

[Zic]

Yeah, I remember reading about this a few years back.
Did you also know that religious people tend to have better mental health?

That would mean that I'm fairly fucked, given I'm a very staunch anti-social atheist with social anxiety, low interpersonal intelligence, and an inability to really keep up with my friends and family. I'm also not good at taking care of my body, since I'm too busy thinking!!!!!!! Plus, I don't like to sleep well all the time.

So perhaps I under-sleep on top of all of this. That would mean that I am truly fucked.
It seems I won't be around long......... DAMN YOU INTROVERSION AND REASON!

Get out of my head! :laughing:

I sometimes limit myself to 6 hours a night (which is barely the minimum to 'some' psychologists).

Barely the minimum? more like the maximum!

 

[Raichan]

It does not mean introverts die younger, that is a ridiculous idea.

I think it is a matter of personal happiness. Personal happiness contribute to a stronger immune system.

Several long term studies have found that happiness can actually fight illness, since chronic unhappiness causes stress which reduces the immune response to disease.

An introvert can be capable of forming fulfilling social bonds and inner contentment. Just because they need alone time to recharge, it doesn't make them dysfunctional in human friendships :dry:

 

[Raichan]

For men in particular, a good woman extends it even more.

The internet brings joy, thus it can also extend life :crazy:

 

[GiGi]

Oh well. I guess I'll be croaking over any day now.