Related topics: •  Health Benefits of Friendship •  Keeping Friendships Alive •  Pet Rx: The Health Benefits of Cats and Dogs •  Social Networks and Health

When Marge Burger's husband died of a heart attack seven years ago, she made a sad discovery: Widows don't get invited to many dances. Or card games. Or dinners. "I still had loyal friends, but I just didn't seem to fit in," she says.

Like many seniors her age, the 74-year-old resident of Portland, Oregon, slipped into a quiet, lonely rut. She enjoyed time with her children and grandchildren, but she spent most of her time sitting around her house, trying not to miss a minute of her favorite soap operas. It was a comfortable life, and she hated it. "Living alone is the pits," she says. "When you enjoy a conversation with a cat, things are pretty bad."

Nobody in her situation would disagree: At any age, loneliness is a curse. And for older people, a lack of a social life can even be hazardous to their health. People who don't get out much often succumb to depression, a condition that in turn makes them vulnerable to many illnesses, including heart disease, alcoholism, diabetes and, perhaps, cancer.

But just as loneliness can destroy a person's life, socializing can save it. In a 13-year study published in 1999 of almost 3,000 senior citizens, Harvard researchers found that social activities such as playing bingo or attending church were as important to survival as regular exercise. That's right: When it comes to adding years to one's life, looking for bingo's O-62 is right up there with jogging.

Seniors get more out of socializing than just a few extra years of life. Friendships and activities reduce stress, help people feel worthy and needed, and stimulate the mind. According to a recent report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, strong social contacts offer powerful protection against the mental declines that often go along with aging. And having strong friendships can also add years to one's life. A Spanish study published in the journal BMC Geriatrics in 2007 found that having a confidant was linked to a 25 percent less risk of dying prematurely than an elderly person without a strong friendship

And as Marge Burger found, it just takes a little effort to cash in on the benefits of friendships. A few months after her husband's death, she got involved in programs at the Elks' Club. She joined a bowling team for the first time in 40 years. She soon made friends with another woman stuck alone at home, and the two started attending symphonies and church services together.

Going back to church made the biggest difference in her life, she says. "I feel very secure there," she says. "There's always somebody who wants to reach out to you."

Now 81, she appreciates her friends, family and her social life more than ever. "When I get chances to laugh, reminisce and share, I'm not thinking about how much my back aches or how much my feet hurt," she says. "Any situation improves when you have people around you."

-- Chris Woolston, M.S., is a health and medical writer with a master's degree in biology. He is a contributing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, and was the staff writer at Hippocrates, a magazine for physicians. He has also covered science issues for Time Inc. Health, WebMD, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. His reporting on occupational health earned him an award from the northern California Society of Professional Journalists.

References

Last updated March 27, 2009
Copyright © 2000 Consumer Health Interactive

Or Find More On:

Back to top of page