Recipe for Longevity: No Smoking, Lots of Friends (TIME)

A healthy social life may be as good for your long-term health as avoiding cigarettes, according to a massive research review released Tuesday by the journal PLoS Medicine.

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those with poor social connections had on average 50% higher odds of death in the study's follow-up period (an average of 7.5 years) than people with more robust social ties.

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The immune systems of people with lots of friends simply worked better, fighting off the cold virus often without symptoms.