How do your friends impact your health?

In my last blog article, I explored how your social network including your friends and family impact your motivation to be healthy.

Being part of a group, or better yet, lots of groups is good for your health.  The kind of groups doesn’t seem to matter – it could be a family group, friendship group, religious or spiritual group, tennis or book club.  What is important is that you identify with it and see it as a meaningful part of your life.

Here are five good reasons why?

  1. It can help you live longer
    • “As a rule of thumb if you belong to no groups but decide to join one, you cut the risk of dying over the next year in half” R Putman, Bowling Alone.
    • An adequate social life provides health benefits on a par with quitting smoking
    • The benefits of social ties are akin to those of exercise once you retire.  In one study retirees belonging to two social groups had a 2% risk of death but if they lost touch with both groups it jumps to 12%.
  2. It can protect your heart
    • Heart disease is generally lower for those who are members of a social group.
    • The risk of death from heart disease diminishes if you belong to more than one social group.
  3. It can cut your risk of a cold
    • Those belonging to a wide range of social groups e.g family friends, work, recreation or religious groups are least likely to come down with a cold.  Six or more types of diverse groups cut the risk of a cold more than four times.
  4. It can alleviate depression
    • The more social groups you belong to the less likely you are to suffer from depression.
    • If you are depressed, joining a group can help you recover and cut the risk of a relapse by nearly a 1/4 if you join one group or by almost 2/3 if you join three.
    • If you are a member of a religious or spiritual group you are less likely to have depressive symptoms and more likely to have feelings of well being.
  5. It motivates you to be healthy

References

J Holt-Lunstad, T B Smith, J B Layton (2010) Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review, Plos Medicine

NK Steffens, T Cruwys, C Haslam, J Jetten, S A Haslam Social group memberships in retirement are associated with reduced risk of premature death: evidence from a longitudinal cohort study, BMJ Open Volume 6 Issue 2

D Reed, D McGee, K Yano, M Feinleib (1983) Social Networks and coronary heart disease among Japanese men in Hawaii, American Journal of Epidemiology 117(4) 384-96

DC Classen, SL Pestotnik, JF Lloyd, JP Burke (1997) Adverse drug events in hospitalised patients.  Excess length of stay, extra costs and attributable mortality JAMA   Jan 22-29;277(4):301-6.
F Tabassum, J Mohan, P Smith (2016) Association of volunteering with mental well-being: a lifecourse analysis of a national population-based longitudinal study in the UK BMJ Open 6(8)
A Moe, O Hellzen, K Ekker, I Enmarker (2013) Inner strength in relation to perceived physical and mental health among the oldest old people with chronic illness Aging Mental Health 17(2):189-96.
M P Aranda (2008) Relationship between religious involvement and psychological well-being: a social justice perspective Health and Social Work 33 (1): 9 – 21
M Tarrant, K Warmoth, C Code, S Dean, V A Goodwin, K Stein, T Sugavanam (2016) Creating psyhcological connections between intervention recipients: development and focus group evaluation of a group singing session for people with aphasia BMJ Open 2016; 6(2)

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