The Commerce Times

Get out and socialize, it’s for your own good

It may take more than a morning jog and a regular serving of vegetables to stay healthy. According to studies gathered all over North America, spending an adequate amount of time with your friends can lead to an improved quality of life.

“Friendship plays a big role [in promoting one‘s health and wellbeing],” said Elizabeth-Page Gould, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Toronto- Scarborough.

A study from the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health found women diagnosed with cancer had a quicker recovery when they spent increased amounts of time with their friends and relatives.

“Communication and social support aspects of friendship appear to be two very fundamental reasons for why friendship is a good thing for people,” said Gould.

Stephen Muzzati, associate professor of sociology, says that socialization is a part of life.

“We’re all socialized. It just happens. Socialization is a life-long process; we’re all experiencing it at a different time,” he said.

It seems like we have more communication, more people that we consider friends these days than our grandparents did.

Studies have suggested that friends have such a great impact on each other, because they discouraged unhealthy behavior, such as smoking and heavy drinking. Friendship can also decrease feelings of depression and boost one’s self-esteem.

At The University of California in Los Angeles, researchers found that hanging out with friends can decrease the amount of stress we experience on a daily basis. According to The Nurses’ Health Study from Harvard Medical School, the more friends a woman had, the less likely she was to develop severe impairments. Researchers concluded that not having close friends was just as harmful to your health as smoking or carrying extra weight.

Not only did social interaction prove to be cruicial in living a healthy life, there has also been evidence to show that it facilitates cognitive functioning.

A simple exchange or conversation with another person relies partly on attention, working memory and cognitive control. Also, being with others greatly impacts one’s well-being and those with low social connections are more prone to mental illness and depression, according to the study done at the University of Chicago. Although the study signified the importance of social interaction, it hinted that social interaction may also be on the decline, one in which people are having fewer interactions with others.

Gould disagrees.

“In terms of just size of social network, that’s been increasing with every generation. It seems like we have more communication, more people that we consider friends these days than our grandparents did.”

Yahya Rafique, a first-year graduate in compurer science sees the value of establishing social connections.

“[Socializing with others] shapes your personality. When you don’t interact, you live in [the] world in your own perspective,” Rafique said.

Azita Pourrastezar, a first year civil engineering student, prioritizes her time so that she will have time to socialize.

“I manage my time, do my work earlier, then [I] have time to spend with [my] friends.”

Gould says that even studying with friends also has great social benefits.

“Do your school work together at the library, you are interacting with each other. Study hard, get good grades and still hang out with your friends.”