Be social, live longer!

A research study conducted at Brigham Young University and University of North Carolina stated that people with more social relationships are likely to live longer and healthier lives. In other words we can say that people who are happy enjoying closer family bonds and bonds with their friends are half as likely to die early than those who don’t. These people are believed to live an average of 3.7 years longer. This research study was not an ordinary study but instead the study was based on data which was collected over a period of three decades. The study included 300,000 subjects and 143 studies. People who lead lonely lives have mortality even as high as alcoholics and people suffering from obesity. Basically loneliness makes u unhealthy. The reason behind this is that the network of friends and family provide moral support which in turn helps to handle any type of stress you’re going through.

If a person has a large social circle, more friends to talk to, hang out with and to laugh with then the person’s confidence level increases and he feels that his life is worth living for himself and for others too. The presence of a social circle decreases the perception of a situations complexity; the person would know that he can get help in times of difficulty from his friends and from his loved ones. As a result the person thinks more creatively by getting himself busy in healthy practices within his social circle. He thinks of more significant solutions to his problems, on the other hand the person who does not have a social life might remain stuck in his problems. I totally believe with this as I have seen it myself that people around me in university who have a huge social circle they are always busy with something or the other and this is good in a way as all of these activities keeps them away from being sad or thinking too much about something. There might be a possibility that some people prefer to living a lonely life as they have a belief of their own that they can live their life better when alone. But overall the research study provides us with more good reasons to engage ourselves in social activities to have a support system enabling us to enjoy our lives and hence make it more meaningful.