This New York Times article from three years ago describes the degree to which strong social bonds with people who share similar interests improve one’s longevity.
One example is Okinawa, Japan, far south of the country’s main islands:
… a place where the average life expectancy for women is around 90, the oldest in the world, people form a kind of social network called a moai — a group of five friends who offer social, logistic, emotional and even financial support for a lifetime.
In a moai, the group benefits when things go well, such as by sharing a bountiful crop, and the group’s families support one another when a child gets sick or someone dies. They also appear to influence one another’s lifelong health behaviors.
“Traditionally, their parents put them into moais when they are born, and they take a lifelong journey together.”
That’s not the only reason Okinawans live longer than even the average Japanese – diet and genetics seem to play their part too – but social practices seem to be the third pillar of their longevity.
This National Geographic article from last year, which touches briefly on each of these three factors, also mentions moais.
Takashi Inafuku, head of one of Ogimi’s districts, belongs to two moai—one with a group of school friends and another with former co-workers. “They are places where you can exchange information and communicate with others,” he says. “I think that participating in moai, having a common hobby and releasing stress, can help promote longevity.”
And that
“loneliness is as bad for you as smoking.”
While the forced isolation of the last nearly two years has had a devastating effect on people’s mental health, I have observed clearly that those with such strong social connections have fared better during this period. Often, such connections had been built and nurtured electronically even before the pandemic, and so weren’t buffeted as much by it.
(ends)