Not exercise, diets or vitamin supplements: Friends help you live longer; here's how

Humans have always linked health, longevity and well-being to a healthy lifestyle and exercise. However, this new study has suggested that your social network may influence your health as much as your exercise routine.

Author and BBC journalist David Robson, in his new book 'The Laws of Connection', shared evidence on how people with thriving social networks, tend to be far healthier than those who feel isolated. So much so that the World Health Organization (WHO) founded a new Commission on Social Connection, calling it "a global health priority".

While investigating the science for this book, the author said he tried to understand the "biopsychosocial" model of health and discovered that friendships can influence everything from the strength of our immune system to our chances of dying from heart disease.

"If we want to live a long and healthy life, we should start prioritising the people around us," Robson concluded.

The ‘Alameda 7’ & 1 more

In the early 1960s, Lester Breslow set out to identify the habits and behaviours that led to greater longevity. Within a decade, Breslow's team had identified seven ingredients that we now know are essential for good health, known as the "Alameda 7":

• Don't smoke
• Drink in moderation
• Sleep seven to eight hours a night
• Exercise
• Avoid snacks
• Maintain a moderate weight
• Eat breakfast

However, as the research continued, by 1979, two of Breslow's colleagues – Lisa Berkman and S Leonard Syme – discovered an eighth factor that influenced longevity in people: Social Connection.

On an average, people with the greatest number of ties were around half as likely to die as the people who had smaller networks.

This result was constant even after factors such as socioeconomic status and people's health at the survey's start were controlled, as well as cigarette consumption, exercise and diet.

Therefore, it can be concluded that social support can boost your immune system and protect you from infection.