Psyche Regular pub visits with friends promote good health

Two pub visits with friends a week make men healthier
Men who meet with friends twice a week are healthier, less prone to depression, and tend to be nicer. This is the conclusion of a new study from Great Britain. The joint meetings can also be pub visits.

Friendships serve health
That loneliness harms the health and friendships are good for psyche and body, has been known for some time. British researchers reported last year that a healthy circle of friends can protect against depression. Even virtual contacts seem to have positive effects. Only a few weeks ago, American scientists in the journal "National Academy of Science" reported that many Facebook friends increase life expectancy. However, meetings with friends are obviously much healthier, even if they are joint pub visits.

According to a new study, men who do something with their friends twice a week are healthier, less prone to depression and tend to be kinder. The joint ventures can also be pub visits. (Image: Syda Productions / fotolia.com)

Friendly by regular pub visits
A recent UK study has shown that men who do something with their friends twice a week are healthier, recover faster from illness, are less prone to depression, and tend to be kinder.

According to researchers from the University of Oxford, the activities may be about sports, or about drinking beer together in the pub, the University Herald reports..

Study was funded by brewery
However, the study, led by Robin Dunbar, a respected Oxford professor of developmental psychology, should be treated with caution: according to media reports, it was funded by the Guinness Brewery.

According to the information, the health benefits come from the strong bond that men build in such a personal meeting. According to a report by "Medical Daily", this bond causes happiness to increase and the level of stress to drop while boosting self-esteem. This affects the physical health.

No positive effect for virtual contacts
What is done at the meetings is therefore of secondary importance. "Bonding can come from a variety of activities, from sports to common chats among men - or simply by having a beer with his buddies on Friday night," says Professor Dunbar, according to the Daily Mail..

It is only important that the men spend at least twice a week with their friends, have personal contact with them and the group has a maximum of five people.

The exchange via online interactions such as social media, phone calls or text messages do not have the same effect as face-to-face meetings.

Friendships enrich life
"When men meet more often with their friends, their friendships become stronger, which enriches their lives," said Stephen O'Kelly of the Guinness Brewery to the Daily Mail..

According to the newspaper, British author and comedian Danny Wallace said about the study results, "This is good news, we must obey science." (Ad)