Make friends, save lives

Friends may be more important than family when it comes to a long life according to research with older people in Australia.

'Older people with better social networks with friends were less likely to die over a 10-year follow-up period than older people with poorer friends networks,' Lynne C. Giles of Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, told Reuters Health.

But in what may come as a surprising finding to older people who rely on their children and other relatives, having a large network of relatives is not associated with living longer.

'Of course, that is not to say that social networks with children and other relatives are not important in many other ways,' Giles said.

Many studies have shown that people who are connected with lots of others tend to live longer lives. However, this is one of only a few studies to have examined whether different types of relationships -- with friends, partners, children and other relatives -- have different effects on longevity.

Men are notoriously bad at maintaining relationships. We also know that we don't live as long. Could the two be related?