Less is better! A small circle of friends can protect you from illness. The study explains how

As we get older, our circle of friends shrinks and we choose quality over quantity. But a recent study led by Erin Syracuse of the University of Exeter and Matthew Silk of the University of Edinburgh suggests that having a smaller circle of friends can also be beneficial to your health.

A study was conducted on aging rhesus macaques, and it was observed that less sociality helped them to contract diseases less often. Study co-author Erin Siracusa, a research fellow at the University of Exeter’s Center for Animal Behavior Research, said in a news release that the study rediscovers why animals, including humans, decrease their social connections as they age.

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The study examined disease trends affecting social aging from an evolutionary perspective. It has been observed that, like humans, animals also show less social behavior with age.

Humans are hardwired to be social creatures, and this is believed to be one of the main reasons why they have survived over time. However, the study questioned why social connections with people tend to decline with age. It has been observed that as people age, their immune systems weaken, making them prone to disease. Therefore, in order not to get sick or catch infectious diseases from others, they reduce their social interactions and try to return to a smaller circle of friends. This kind of thinking can affect smaller social connections.

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Research results:

The study found that the young macaques had more infectious diseases than the older ones in the group. Being selective about who you hang out with, how big your social circle is, also depends on the diseases that are spread.

Why do social ties decrease with age?

The study answered this question from the perspective of old macaques. It was observed that when an older monkey became ill, it took longer to recover and get back on its feet. This can affect their social interactions, making significant changes in their lifestyle.

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