Health Benefits Of Friends And Family: 8 Reasons Why It's Healthy To Spend Time With Loved Ones

'Tis the season to gather those you love and soak up the quality time together. And really, we should be doing this all year round -- even research shows that spending time with loved ones is good for health.

From decreasing loneliness to slashing stress levels, from helping with quitting smoking to making a difference in healthy eating habits, check out these eight reasons why it's healthy to spend time with people you love.

• Parenting Lengthens Life

  Being a parent -- especially being a mom -- is linked with <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/12/06/parenting-lengthens-life-danish-study_n_2249270.html?utm_hp_ref=uk">living longer</a>, according to a study of 21,276 couples from Denmark. The research, published in the <em>Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health</em>, showed that women who gave birth to children were four times less likely to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/12/06/parenting-lengthens-life-danish-study_n_2249270.html?utm_hp_ref=uk">die early from cancer, accidents or circulatory disease</a>. Fathers also had lower risks of early death from these causes, HuffPost UK reported.

• Big Social Networks Are Good For Your Health

  Having many strong social ties could help you live a longer, healthier life, according to a study from Brigham Young University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers. The study showed that <a href="http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2006938,00.html">social ties' impact on longevity</a> is actually the same as that which is seen between people who smoke and don't smoke, <em>TIME</em> reported. The study is based on the findings of 300,000 people who were included in 148 different studies, and was published in the journal <em>PLoS Medicine</em>.

• Sisters Decrease Loneliness

  Having a sister is good for your mental health, according to research from Brigham Young University. Specifically, researchers found that having a sister could help preteens to <a href="http://news.byu.edu/archive10-aug-siblings.aspx">feel less lonely</a>, self-conscious and afraid -- and more loved. And researchers found that having a sister <em>or</em> a brother was linked with more inclination to do good deeds, according to the <em>Journal of Family Psychology</em> study.

• Friends And Family Make A Difference In Your Healthy Habits

  Your friends and family are highly influential when it comes to the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/07/friends-family-health-influence_n_1000829.html">kind of lifestyle you lead</a>, according to a 2011 survey. Blisstree.com reported that 36 percent of people say their nutrition is affected by influence from their friends and family. And 46 percent of people in the survey said that their loved ones make a difference in their overall healthy lifestyles.

• Dads Influence Teens' Sexual Activity

  Having a strong bond with Dad makes a big difference when it comes to <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865565047/Dads-advice-very-influential-in-teenagers-sexual-activity.html?pg=all">risky teen sexual behavior</a>, according to a study in the journal <em>Pediatrics</em>. <em>Deseret News</em> reported on the study, conducted by New York University and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers, which showed that dads who were open about talking about sex and their opinions on sex with their children made a bigger influence on their children's actual sexual activity. The <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865565047/Dads-advice-very-influential-in-teenagers-sexual-activity.html?pg=all"><em>Deseret News</em> reported</a>: <blockquote>The study suggested that fathers' attitudes and the warmth of the parent-child relationship help shape a teenager's degree of sexual activity. For instance, teenagers appear to wait longer to become sexually active when they know their fathers don't approve of teenage sex.</blockquote>

• Talking With Mom Lowers Stress

  Spending some quality talk time with Mom could help to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/12/stress.mother.voice.call/index.html">lower stress</a>, according to a 2010 study conducted by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers. Health.com reported that talking on the phone with Mom seemed to decrease stress hormones and increase the feel-good chemical oxytocin among young girls, between ages 7 and 12. "Mothers know without being instructed how to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/12/stress.mother.voice.call/index.html">soothe a child</a>," oxytocin researcher Anne Campbell, of Durham University, who was not involved in the study, told Health.com. "They know because they come from a long line of women whose genes remained in the gene pool because they kept their kids alive. The challenge is for scientists to illuminate how mothering works -- and that's where oxytocin comes in."

• Sisters Spread Happiness

  Spending time with your sister could <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7977454.stm">help you feel happier</a>, according to a University of Ulster study. The study, which included 571 people between ages 17 and 25 and was presented at a meeting of the British Psychological Society in 2009, showed that people with sisters had greater family communication, BBC News reported. "<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7977454.stm">Emotional expression</a> is fundamental to good psychological health and having sisters promotes this in families," study researcher Tony Cassidy told BBC News.

• Mothers Influence Child's Obesity

  Being close with your mom could have an impact on your weight, according to a study published last year in the journal <em>Pediatrics</em>. The study shows that the relationship between a mom and her child when the child is young seems to be <a href="http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/26/embargoed-26-dec-2011-0015-et-obesity-in-teen-years-may-be-blamed-on-motherchild-relationships/?iref=allsearch">associated with his or her weight</a> later on as a teen. Specifically, young kids with close relationships with their moms were less likely to be obese in the study in adolescence, compared with those with more distant relationships with their moms during toddlerhood, CNN reported.

• Healthy Family Habits

  Find out what you need to be doing in order to keep your family healthy and happy this winter and year round.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/22/health-benefits-friends-family_n_2317696.html

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