Everyone knows that it is great to have a strong family and friends and now a Harvard study has the science to back that up.
The study, which was published last month, looked at how social connections impact the long-term health of human beings.
The research showed that strong social connections can influence our health as much as sleep and a good diet. It also highlighted the importance of “social support” which can be shown through things like offers of help, expressions of affection, and giving gifts.
“All of this is encouraging news because caring involvement with others may be one of the easiest health strategies to access,” the study states. “It’s inexpensive, it requires no special equipment or regimen, and we can engage in it in many ways.”
Other similar studies cited by Harvard have shown that having a network of important relationships with social support leads to a lower risk of dementia for those who are older than 75.