Social Life is key to good health: Study

Group Membership Can Reduce Risk of Stroke, Dementia And Even Common Cold

Washington: The quality of social life has a greater impact on a person’s health and well – being than diet and exercise, according to a new study.

Researchers have found that quality of an individual’s social life significantly reduces the risk of condition like stroke, dementia and even the common cold. These findings have been validated by the universities of Exeter and Queensland, Australia, based on a review study of previous research, including their own, which links group membership with physical and mental health.

Lead researcher Alex Haslam, a professor at the University of Exeter said: “We are social animals who live and have evolved to live in social groups. Membership of groups, from football teams to book clubs and voluntary societies, gives us a sense of social identity. This is an indispensable part of who we are and what we need to be in order to lead rich and fulfilling lives. For this reason groups are central to mental functioning health and well-being.”

The researchers have based their findings on an analysis of a number of recent studies.

A 2008 study of stroke sufferers showed that being able to maintain valued group memberships placed an important role in positive recovery as an ability to overcome cognitive difficulties. After their stroke, people’s life satisfaction increased by 12 percent for every group membership.

Likewise, a 2009 study of residents entering a new care home showed that those who participated as a group in decisions related to the decoration of communal areas used those areas 57 percent more over the next month and were far happier as a result. In contrast, the use of space by residents in a control group declined by 60 percent.

Co-researcher Jolanda Jetten of the University of Queensland said: “New research shows just how important groups and social identity are to well-being. This is something that people often overlook in the rush to find medical solutions to problems associated with ageing. But it is time that these factors were taken much more seriously.”

The findings are published in the latest edition of the ‘Scientific American Mind’journal. AGENCIES

[THE TIMES OF INDIA, KOLKATA, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2009]