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Friends are good to have — we all know that — but the depth and breadth of the benefits to one’s health and brain may be underestimated.
I reported here on a study that showed how friends reduce stress or rather it could also be that interacting with strangers increases stress. Another study showed that it wasn’t just having strong social relationships that was important but having people who can listen well that gives the largest benefits.
Though becoming a so-called superager (those who age well with high cognitive functions into old age) may be genetic this research is still interesting: a study cohort from North Western University in the USA report that Superagers, in contrast to a normal population group, endorse strong social relationships. This is in line with multiple other studies that show ageing well and avoiding cognitive decline has strong correlations to the quality of your social life.
If we look to the other end of the age spectrum another study was published in July this year highlighting (again) the importance of social relationships and caring mothering and how this impacts gene expression. This was done in…
