Social connectedness a plus
Older men with strong social networks reported less pain and anxiety before surgery than their less connected counterparts.
The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, followed men with an average age of 63.8 years, who underwent major surgery.
The men’s social networks were classified by the number of close friends and relatives they had, how often they saw them, and whether they attended a social function at least once a week.
Patients with bigger social networks were 16 per cent less likely to spend seven or more days in hospital.
Individuals with larger social networks were less likely to have anxious personalities, so researchers said that perhaps anxious people by nature, formed fewer social links.
