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Close relationships -- with family, friends, or even pets -- seem to pay off with good health and longevity. Although no one knows exactly how or why social ties affect health, study after study has shown that social support is crucial and can even influence survival among patients with very serious diseases. It makes sense that you cannot enjoy full health as an isolated being. Health is wholeness. Countless human miseries and diseases are rooted in self-centeredness and solitude. Depression, loneliness, despair, and other negative emotions can suppress immunity and unbalance the nervous system. Here is some evidence linking good health to strong ties to family and friends:
- Three "distress indicators" negatively affect the immune system’s natural killer-cell activity -- one of these is lack of social support.
- A study of 75 medical students found that those who were lonely had more sluggish natural killer-cells than students who weren't.
- Research has shown that people who have pets have less illness than people who do not. Pet owners also recover from serious illness faster.
What are you going to do today to reach out? [ www.drweil.com ]
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