In the journal PLoS Medicine, BYU professors Julianne Holt-Lunstad and Timothy Smith report that social connections — friends, family, neighbors or colleagues — improve our odds of survival by 50 percent. Here is how low social interaction compares to more well-known risk factors:<\/p>\n
“The idea that a lack of social relationships is a risk factor for death is still not widely recognized by health organizations and the public,” write the PLoS Medicine editors in a summary of the BYU study and why it was done.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The researchers analyzed data from 148 previously published longitudinal studies that measured frequency of human interaction and tracked health outcomes for a period of seven and a half years on average. Because information on relationship quality was unavailable, the 50 percent increased odds of survival may underestimate the benefit of healthy relationships.<\/p>\n
“The data simply show whether they were integrated in a social network,” Holt-Lunstad said. “That means the effects of negative relationships are lumped in there with the positive ones. They are all averaged together.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Holt-Lunstad said there are many pathways through which friends and family influence health for the better, ranging from a calming touch to finding meaning in life.<\/p>\n
“When someone is connected to a group and feels responsibility for other people, that sense of purpose and meaning translates to taking better care of themselves and taking fewer risks,” Holt-Lunstad said.<\/p>\n
In examining the data, Smith took a careful look at whether the results were driven primarily by people helping each other prolong their golden years.<\/p>\n
“This effect is not isolated to older adults,” Smith said. “Relationships provide a level of protection across all ages.”<\/p>\n
Smith said that modern conveniences and technology can lead some people to think that social networks aren’t necessary.<\/p>\n
“We take relationships for granted as humans — we’re like fish that don’t notice the water,” Smith said. “That constant interaction is not only beneficial psychologically but directly to our physical health.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Brad Layton worked on the study as an undergrad at BYU and appears as a co-author on the new study. Layton’s involvement in this project helped him secure a spot as a Ph.D. candidate in the highly ranked epidemiology program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.<\/p>\n