Here's How Often Science Says You Should See Your Friends

<div><img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/68d6b1bd140000fd1a5c629c.jpg?ops=scalefit_630_noupscale" alt="Friends" data-caption="Friends" data-credit-link-back="" data-credit="Simon Maage via Unsplash" />Friends</div><div class="content-list-component text"><p>We’ve written before about the <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/this-simple-lifestyle-change-can-ward-off-dementia_uk_65fc42cee4b0d2a3e777815c">health benefits of socialising</a>, especially when it comes to potentially helping to prevent the development of <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/dementia/">dementia</a>. </p><p>But it’s likely more than just a brain booster. Science suggests hanging out with your loved ones and having a strong social network may make you <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/wider-social-network-may-help-women-live-longer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">live longer</a>, have <a href="b" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a healthier heart</a>, and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37298-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">even diversify your gut bacteria</a>. </p><p>In fact, when looking at a meta-analysis of 148 studies on the subject, <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/relationships-boost-survival/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scientific American said that </a>“by the study’s numbers, interpersonal social networks are more crucial to physical health than exercising or beating obesity.”</p><p>They compared hanging out regularly to giving up a 15-a-day smoking habit (whoa).</p><p>Unlike <a href="https://www