Actualis



February 2011
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Want to live a long time?
Make some friends.

They say that working keeps you healthy. Turns out that a good network of friends does, too!

Think you can live all alone on your little island without caring about others? Go ahead! But don’t expect to live to a ripe old age. At least that’s what a study in a recent issue of a PLoS medical journal has found. Look at this:





It couldn’t be more clear: people who have a solid network of friends are 50% more likely to live longer than those who have few or no friends. Hard to believe? The study covered close to 309,000 people over 7.5 years. And the results were consistent, regardless of age group or sex.

As important as any other health factor

According to the researchers, a shortage of friends could even be as serious a health risk as smoking, obesity or lack of exercise. In other words, making friends can be as good for you as going to the gym.

This research confirms the findings of numerous other studies on the same subject published in recent years. Those studies also produced other surprising results:

  • Women with breast cancer who have no close friends are four times more likely to die of the disease than those who have at least ten.
  • Social activities keep the brain healthy as people age.
  • Good friends – even those who live far away – are more important for our health than family and even spouses!

Researchers cannot explain exactly why friendship has such a powerful effect. But one could easily suppose that, aside from the psychological benefits of knowing you matter to many people, a large circle of friends constitutes a valuable support group if you become ill, and can provide better access to a broader range of resources.

To sum up: since financial health is intimately related to health in general, it may be time to add a new aspect to your financial plan – friendship. And as for that bottle of wine you’ve got aging in the cellar, it could turn out to be a better investment than you ever imagined… if you drink it now, with your friends.



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