This might be bad news for some of you

[Saya]

New research from Brigham Young University suggests that social relationships can predict a person's odds of living or dying.

The researchers found that social connections can improve the odds of survival by 50 per cent.

According to the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal PloS Medicine, a lack of social contact is as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day or being an alcoholic.

The researchers also suggest a lack of social interaction can be more harmful than not exercising and is twice as harmful as being obese.

They came to that conclusion after reviewing 148 previously published studies that measured the frequency of human interaction and tracked health outcomes for an average of 7½ years.

"When someone is connected to a group and feels responsibility for other people, that sense of purpose and meaning translates to taking better care of themselves and taking fewer risks," said BYU professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a co-author on the study.

The researchers say relationships provide a level of protection for people of all ages.

"We take relationships for granted as humans. We're like fish that don't notice the water," said Timothy Smith, the other author on the study.

"That constant interaction is not only beneficial psychologically but directly to our physical health," he said.

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/201...hip-study.html

On the other hand, you could always print this out and use it as a pick up line. "Please sleep with me, my life depends on it."

[Fruitbat]

Shoot - i better go out and buy an eco-coffin right now.

[Tam Li Hua]

Well, it -has- been proven that babies need regular physical touch or they get sick and die, so this makes sense too.

[Hearts_Purple]

Originally Posted by Fruitbat

Shoot - i better go out and buy an eco-coffin right now.

Me too! I've never been good at maintaining human relationships. Guess I'm gonna die early. Fuck it.

[Sinjob]

Yeah. Isolation and lack of human contact leads to sheer madness...If you think about it. The mind is a powerful fuckin' thing. At one point, I found myself mentally trapped to the verge of a self-condemned psychosis thinking about every move I made. This was a time I was all alone and pretty much a vegetable (it was my choice in the first place).

The mind is a powerful thing, boys and girls.

[Fruitbat]

Sinjob - there are loads of examples of people who go off to do Buddhist retreats for 1 to 5 years, and they have a really hard time assimilating back into society afterwards.

Heck I can't even go camping for a few days, without feeling all freaky when I come back to society. Friggin' sucks.

[Sinjob]

That's why I'd go to into that kind of journey at the END of my life, once I feel society has totally lost its color.

[ape descendant]

Its kind of a big DUH, humans are social creatures, like the other great apes. We need eachother.. perhaps even more than the other apes... Its probably a huge reason we've developed cooperation as much as we have....

Now, if they could tell us why this is the case... that would be a bit more impressive.

[Hearts_Purple]

If we could learn to be stronger rather than limiting ourselves to being 'social creatures' I think we could really advance as a species.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by Hearts_Purple

If we could learn to be stronger rather than limiting ourselves to being 'social creatures' I think we could really advance as a species.

I don't think I have ever disagreed more with anything in this forum.

[JCC.]

Originally Posted by ape descendant

Its kind of a big DUH, humans are social creatures, like the other great apes. We need eachother.. perhaps even more than the other apes... Its probably a huge reason we've developed cooperation as much as we have.

There's this Chinese (I think) custom, where when people want something different, say, what movie to go watch at the cinema, instead of saying "OK, well, Him Kinh Jon Poo Yip picked the last one, now it's Fung Loo Shung Lipton Tee's turn," they go see a movie no one wants. As a result, everyone is miserable. That's co-operation.

[Hearts_Purple]

Originally Posted by Alan

I don't think I have ever disagreed more with anything in this forum.

That's too bad. I think that a lot of what makes people the most miserable in this world is the modern social conventions that are out there. I do not live my life based on what society likes or wants. I do not care about society, only the few people that I know.

[Fruitbat]

Originally Posted by JCC.

There's this Chinese (I think) custom, where when people want something different, say, what movie to go watch at the cinema, instead of saying "OK, well, Him Kinh Jon Poo Yip picked the last one, now it's Fung Loo Shung Lipton Tee's turn," they go see a movie no one wants. As a result, everyone is miserable. That's co-operation.

So what your saying is that if in China, say you want to see a movie you don't want to see and then there is a good chance you will see the movie you want to?

i like it

[Ben Lahnger]

Does China let any of the good movies into the country?

[Hearts_Purple]

Probably not.

[JCC.]

China actually makes some amazing cinema.

[JCC.]

Originally Posted by Hearts_Purple

That's too bad. I think that a lot of what makes people the most miserable in this world is the modern social conventions that are out there. I do not live my life based on what society likes or wants. I do not care about society, only the few people that I know.

[Eye roll].

[Fruitbat]

Originally Posted by Ben Lahnger

Does China let any of the good movies into the country?

I think they still have censorship. A friend recently came back said that she couldn't access facebook a couple of times - but hey that's no great loss.

I do remember a friend bringing back a copy of starship troopers from Singapore - it had been cut to be PG rated. You couldn't watch the gore but you could hear the people scream.

I think China makes a lot of their own movies. I remember being in Hong Kong a few years back, walking past a cinema and there were more local movies advertised than Hollywood ones.

[Hearts_Purple]

Originally Posted by JCC.

[Eye roll].

Piss off, you fucktarded troll.

[JCC.]

Awww, no! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, guy!

[Saya]

Originally Posted by Fruitbat

I think they still have censorship. A friend recently came back said that she couldn't access facebook a couple of times - but hey that's no great loss.

I do remember a friend bringing back a copy of starship troopers from Singapore - it had been cut to be PG rated. You couldn't watch the gore but you could hear the people scream.

I think China makes a lot of their own movies. I remember being in Hong Kong a few years back, walking past a cinema and there were more local movies advertised than Hollywood ones.

Hong Kong is different from the rest of China though, they have a lot more freedom there. Mainland China, depending on where you are, from what I understand (I remember journalists in former Tibet saying how their phones would be tapped and such, for example) is generally worse, although they do get Western movies there.

But a lot of Chinese movies are awesome too. I used to be obsessed with old Jet Li movies, so campy but so fun.

[Hearts_Purple]

Originally Posted by JCC.

Awww, no! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, guy!

Don't flatter yourself. You are, at most, a slight annoyance. Still, one that needs bitch-slapped. Dumbass.

[Fruitbat]

Saya Jet Li is smokin'.

HP - can I watch you slap JCC? Or maybe I can bitchslap him for you

[JCC.]

Originally Posted by Hearts_Purple

Don't flatter yourself. You are, at most, a slight annoyance. Still, one that needs bitch-slapped. Dumbass.

I'll let you do it if you strip-tease for me first and let me break the no touching rule.

[Hearts_Purple]

Originally Posted by Fruitbat

Saya Jet Li is smokin'.

HP - can I watch you slap JCC? Or maybe I can bitchslap him for you

We can tag team if ya want?