The power of relationships is so personal, intuitive and innate that I think it’s easy to take it for granted and to lose perspective on how it effects your life. I believe most people understand that positive and negative relationships can influence how you feel day to day, but the impact of healthy relationships may be even greater and wider ranging than many thought – down to a cellular level.
One recent study (the appropriately named Longevity Project) shows that healthy relationships above all else, including diet and exercise, will help determine your longevity. The authors studied more than eight decades worth of data on 1500 Californians and found that “it is responsible, goal-oriented citizens, well-integrated into their communities” who are most likely to have long, healthy lives according to researcher Howard Friedman.
The list of studies linking good relationships to positive health outcomes is a long one:
Married People Have Less Heart Attacks
Long Term Relationships Better for Mental and Physical Health
Married People Recover Better from Surgery
Committed Relationships Have Less Stress Hormones
These are just scratching the surface. And though many of these studies focused on married couples, the point seems to be more about the strength of the relationship than the legal contract. Knowing the impact of relationships on your health, happiness and longevity are one thing, actively managing and approaching your relationships the way you actively approach diet or exercise is another. And not just for yourself, but for the people you are connecting with. What if we decided to spend 30 minutes a day focused solely on building healthy relationships? Seems like a promising idea on many levels.