Proven: thanks to having good friends, you live longer

We all know that having friends boosts your social life, is good for your mood, and generally makes you a happier person. But there is another great advantage to having close friendships: namely, a longer life.

Researchers surveyed more than 280,000 people from around the world about their loved ones and their feelings of happiness and health, and found that people who valued friendship and family more reported being happier, more satisfied, and healthier than those who did not. People who had a few good friends also scored higher on happiness and health in this study than those who reported having many loose and unimportant friendships.

People who reported experiencing difficult and distant friendships, in turn, experienced less happiness and more health problems, leading these individuals to have a higher chance of high blood pressure, diabetes, and mental health issues according to the same study. This could be because friendships give your life meaning and can encourage you to make healthier choices in your life, such as eating better, sleeping more, and visiting a doctor when you don't feel well.

Psychologist William Chopik says the following about this: ‘As we get older, we often choose to let go of friendships that feel superficial, which means that the older we get, the more we tend to keep only deeper friendships that genuinely make us happy.’ He discovered that valuing family and friends was associated with better health and more happiness overall, and that as you age, having strong friendships is a significant predictor of your life expectancy.

The next time you prefer to stay on your couch on a Friday night rather than dragging yourself to a busy café in the city, just invite a friend (or five) over and keep each other company. Working on your health has never been easier.

Source: Live Science, Well + Good

Image: ‘Someone great’ Netflix