Health.

Social People = Better Survivors?

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- How you relate to others may impact your chances of survival. According to a new study, people with adequate social relationships have a 50-percent greater likelihood of survival compared to those with poor social relationships.

Researchers from Brigham Young University in Utah analyzed 148 studies that included data on more than 300,000 people who were followed for an average of 7.5 years. Having adequate relationships was a strong predictor for survivorship. The magnitude of this effect was comparable with stopping smoking and even exceeded other well-known risk factors for death such as obesity and physical activity.

Authors of the study say the link remained regardless of age, sex, health status, follow-up period and cause of death.

"Physicians, health professionals, educators and the public media take risk factors such as smoking, diet and exercise seriously," the authors concluded. "The data presented here make a compelling case for social relationship factors to be added to that list."

(SOURCE: PLos Medicine, July 27, 2010)