Contents:
- Medical Video: 10 Reasons Why Smart People Have Fewer Friends
- Having friends can make someone healthy and live longer
- The benefits of having friends are the same as the benefits of quitting smoking
- Family is still important, but it will be better if it is balanced with healthy social relationships
Medical Video: 10 Reasons Why Smart People Have Fewer Friends
There is an expression that says that "blood is thicker than water". The phrase means that the family is far more important than having a friend or friend. However, a recent study conducted by Michigan State University instead said the opposite. How come? See the explanation below.
Having friends can make someone healthy and live longer
William Chopik, professor of psychology and research researcher on the benefits of friendship, states that having friends is a consciously chosen life choice. While family relations tend to be considered as a relationship that is serious and tends to be monotonous.
A survey of 300,000 participants aged between 15 and 99 years and from 90 countries found that research participants tended to value healthy and happy friendship relationships. The benefits of having friends are the majority they feel when they get older.
Then, another second study used data from a US survey of 7,481 people over the age of 50. The participants were asked about the quality of the friendship they had, how much a friend understood themselves, and how many friends made them disappointed. And for the next 6 years they were surveyed again about their health conditions such as a history of diabetes, cancer, or heart problems.
Both studies announced the results. First, when someone has a problem with his friendship relationship, some of these people are reported to be susceptible to serious illness. Whereas if someone's friendship is good and makes them happy, the less risk is they have a serious illness.
When the survey was compared to the family relationships they had, only a small effect was found on the level of health and well-being of a person. Likewise the effect is with partner and child relationships.
The benefits of having friends are the same as the benefits of quitting smoking
This study consistently shows the benefits of friendship summarized from 148 studies of 305,000 people studied. The researchers found that people who have strong social relationships can increase the chances of 50% to live longer.
The researchers also showed that the benefits of having friends were comparable to the benefits of quitting smoking. This research also assumes, if survey participants feel more have a pleasant time in the future. But unfortunately, sometimes this friendship becomes a little disturbed after one friend gets married or has a child.
Family is still important, but it will be better if it is balanced with healthy social relationships
Chopik said, if this research does not tell someone to ignore or leave their family. But the essence of this study suggests, so that at least you have one friend who can make you feel better, to increase self-confidence, and be able to fight the risk of stress. Listening and listening to friends is also believed to be important for improving relationships with families.
All you need to remember, friends and family do not have to be two separate entities. If your friend happens to be a member of your family, or your spouse, isn't that better?
