Loneliness: As Bad As Smoking

Have you found yourself spending more lone time lately? If so, you may want to invite a friend out to coffee or a movie or something.

Immediately.

According to new research from Brigham Young University, not having quality friends can actually be as unhealthy as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Another study showed people with at least three close friends at work were 96% more likely to be “extremely satisfied” with their life.

Why is not having good friends so…dire?

According to the experts, friends can help lower stress and depression. And we all know how detrimental both these things can be to our health.

But…what if you’ve found yourself in a situation where you’ve fallen out of touch with your friends, or are simply in need of new ones?

1. Pick up or develop a new hobby. Do you like talking about movies? Do you love sports? Are you  into wine? Are you trying to train for a marathon? Make a list of the hobbies and activities that you’re interested in, and then research groups that focus on them. One of the best ways to meet great new people is by following your own interests.

2. Ask your coworkers to invite you to events. Events, conferences and other types of gatherings are great not only for professional networking, but can be useful ways to meet new people in general.

3. Just get out there! Newsflash: it’s next to impossible to meet people while sitting on the sofa and catching up on your Netflix shows. So get up and go somewhere that seems appealing to you: museum, happy hour, etc. You don’t have to chat up everyone you see up and come across as…odd, but simply being out-and-about can increase your chances of meeting new people.