Friends Help You Stay Healthy
December 31, 2007
(Ivanhoe Newswire) – It takes more than just diet and exercise to help you live a longer, healthier life – you may fair even better with the power of friendship.
Research shows friends actually change the biochemistry of our brains and the way our immune systems function.
“Good friendships put our brains and bodies in an optimal state of function,” psychologist Daniel Goleman, author of Social Intelligence, was quoted as saying. “That state is associated with positive emotions, like joy, which help strengthen the immune system and the cardiovascular system.”
Scientists have found people with rich social relationships live longer than those who are lonely. The more close friends we have the less likely we are to have chronic disease, accidents, and psychological problems. But being without friends can be a major risk factor for disease and early death.
“Being socially isolated is comparable to the negative effects of cigarette smoking for your health,” James Coan, Ph.D., psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of Virginia, was quoted as saying.
One theory on what causes a strong connection between friendship and health is that friends act as a buffer to stress by giving us social and psychological support.
Research also shows we are hardwired to seek out others. If we have too much time alone our brains respond by increasing levels of the hormone cortisol which puts us on alert as if an enemy were present. Too much coritsol can be harmful, increasing the chances of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and other chronic conditions.
Other studies on the connection between friendship and our health looked at the effects of social networks on longevity in people age 70 or older. Psychologists in Australia found those with the closest friends – four or five - were 22 percent less likely to die over the next ten years than those with fewer pals.
SOURCE: MORE magazine: http://www.more.com/more/
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