SOCIAL LIFE IS GOOD FOR HEALTH
There are many factors for maintaining good health. Keeping a social life is one of such
factors. Times of India dated Sep 15, 09 discusses this topic. Besides the diet and exercise, if we maintain a good social life, it is considered very useful for our health. It has been found by research that a good social life considerably reduces the risks of stroke, dementia, common cold and others. When we are linked to a group membership, we get a social identity. Human being is a social animal. Functioning in groups is better for our well-being. These may be football clubs, book clubs and voluntary societies etc. A study done in 2008 on those who had strokes, revealed that those who had kept group memberships had positive
recoveries, and life
satisfaction increased by about 12 %. In another study done in 2009, the residents entering a new care home and taking part as a group in decision-making were found to be far happier. Generally we rush to get medical solutions to our health problems, especially due to aging, but factors such as mentioned above are also important from the point of view of our health.