A recent study at Brigham Young University, which was reported in journal PLoS Medicine, found that our personal relationships are among the “short list” of factors that predict our odds of living or dying.  The study authored by BYU professors Julianne Holt-Lunstad and Timothy Smith found that “…social connections—friends, family, neighbors or colleagues—improve our odds of survival by 50 percent. Here is how low social interaction compares to more well-known risk factors:

• Equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day
• Equivalent to being an alcoholic
• More harmful than not exercising
• Twice as harmful as obesity”

This is pretty amazing evidence regarding the value of developing and maintaining personal friendships.  While doing so requires some time and effort on our part, as you can see, it’s definitely worth it.