More Friends, Fewer Colds?

By Denny Watkins from Men's Health

Frigid winter weather may keep you huddled indoors all weekend, but here’s a reason to venture out and be social: Loneliness wrecks your immune system, according to a study from The Ohio State University.

Researchers performed two studies to assess how feeling lonely—as opposed to actuallyhaving very few friends—squashed your health. In one, the loneliest people had the highest amounts of antibodies for two cold-like viruses that live on harmlessly in your body after you get well—a sign of a weakened immune system.

In the second study, the researchers found that when 134 people were faced with sudden stress (by having only 10 minutes to prepare to give a 5-minute speech), the loneliest ones experienced a much bigger spike in markers of inflammation as a result of the stress than people who felt less alone.

Scientists are still trying to pin down exactly how the psychological state of feeling unloved can affect your physical well-being. But it’s likely because the isolation piles on yet another misery in your already stressful life. “Many of the links between stress and physiological changes, such as immune function, should also apply to loneliness,” says study author Lisa Jaremka, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow at Ohio State.

To make matters worse, inflammation and a compromised immune system aren’t the only health problems caused by flying through life solo. Here are five more reasons why you should buddy up:

Get the 5!