Want to see your girlfriends tonight? So do not hesitate! Not only because we love our friends (a lot), we admire them, we love having fun with them and making fun of them (ha, bad love…), but also because they are really good for us! And when we say good things, it's not just a question of morale...but also of health.
Yes, seeing friends helps the body maintain good tension, reduce stress and even be more resistant to disease. “These interactions are not only good for morale but also good for health. In fact, having a strong social network leads to a 50% increase in the likelihood of living longer,” says Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology at Brigham Young University in Utah (USA), who conducted a study in 2010 on the friendship-longevity relationship published in the journal Plos Médecine. The ideal? Having more than 4 solid friends, says a Quebec study (even if after 30 years, it is the quality that takes precedence).
> (Re)read:I want to meet new faces!)
On the other hand, not having a good support network is a mortality factor… “more powerful than obesity or a sedentary life and without physical exercise”, adds Julianne Holt-Lunstad. Moreover, according to a study just published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry Interventions and conducted by Boston Hospital (United States), social isolation increases the risk of suicide by 30% in women (a figure higher higher than for men)…
