The ObservatoryThe numbers of social health
How much relationships actually matter for health and life expectancy, in numbers
How it works
- Relationships and survivalChoose
- What actually mattersRate
Social relationships are usually called important. The numbers show they are more than important: they belong to the strongest known factors for how long we live.
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Why does it work?
The link between social relationships and mortality builds on Holt-Lunstad, Smith & Layton (2010), a review of 148 studies: strong social relationships were linked to about 50% higher likelihood of survival during the follow-up period, compared with weak ones. A later follow-up review (Holt-Lunstad, Smith, Baker, Harris & Stephenson, 2015) found that social isolation, and living completely alone, were linked to increased mortality risk on the order of 29–32%. These are associations from large population studies, not proven causes in the individual case.
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