The benefits of friendship for health: Studies have shown that Food Friends helps you live longer

Having good friends is more than a recipe for having a good time. According to research, a powerful support group can really help you save your life: a new study Menopause, the North American Menopause Society's newspaper, found that having a good circle of friends can help you live longer.

Researchers at George Mason University have analyzed 10 years of data on more than 90,000 postmenopausal women, hoping to study the effects of having friends on cardiovascular disease. Although they found no significant association between social support and cardiovascular disease in particular, they nonetheless found a link between perceived social support and overall mortality. For women with no history of cardiovascular disease at the start of the study, the presence of a social network was associated with a slightly lower risk of death by all cause.

Perceived social support is defined as "someone who thinks they can get emotional support, advice, or just a company with whom to do fun things," says Dr. Nancy Freeborne, Principal Investigator of the Study and Adjunct Professor at College of University Health and Human Services, in a press release. These results show that providing social support to others is an easy and cost-effective way to manage and affect another's health. profound impact. "

Previous research has revealed many health benefits related to maintaining a strong and united circle of friends: it can lower your blood pressure, protect you from stress and infections, reduce your risk of dementia and even extend your life by years. . (Having good friends when you are young also makes you more likely to find successful dating relationships as you get older.)

Sometimes the simplest thing we can do for our health is to reach out and connect. If you have a strong social network, do not forget to dedicate time and energy to these friendships, as you would with a romantic relationship. And if you think your life is missing a bit of this type of closeness, do not worry, it's never too late to make you a new friend.