These guys have the right idea
I just read about a study that found a pretty crazy way to make sure you live longer.
Get on Facebook more. Well, not exactly but along that same train of thought.
The study done by researchers at Brigham Young University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that having a poor social life had almost the same effect on mortality rates as smoking does. Having close friends and family actually appears to increase your life span by 7.5 years. Here are two things research has proven that having a strong social life can do for you, that may have a connection with the added years:
-lower heart rate and blood pressure during stressful times if there is a close family member or friend with you
-stronger immune system (less colds)
How awesome is that? We make sure to exercise, eat right, stretch, get plenty of sleep, but how many of us think that going to the movies with a friend can help us live longer?
This is just another reminder to never take your friends and family for granted. The study found that the more diverse your social network ( for example you hang out with a group from church, work, your son's t-ball team, the people you exercise with) the stronger your immune system will be.
Personally I go jump in the ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese once a year. I figure if I can survive that petri dish of festering kid funk I can survive any airborne diseases. That's just me though.
We are all so busy these days we don't take the time to actually hang out with our family and friends (outside of Facebook) like we should. I'm going to use this as motivation to start doing so.
Anybody care to join me? I'll make you healthier.