NEW STUDY: Drinking wine with your friends twice a week will help you live longer!
Quick call your mum-friends now!
Looking for the perfect excuse to spend more time with your besties sharing a glass or two of wine? Well, we have just the thing for you!
A new study by the University of Oxford has found that hanging with your friends at least twice a week is great for your mental wellbeing and overall health.
Getty images
And it's not just that - people with loads of pals are less likely to die younger, suffer from illness and recover quicker from surgery. Yesssss!
Professor of evolutionary psychology Dr. Robin Dunbar tells the Huffington Post: ‘The figure of twice a week comes from our findings that this is the amount of time that you typically spend with your closest friends/family.
For both sexes (no surprise), having a large, well-integrated social network has a significant impact on both physical and emotional health.’
UCLA researchers says science has proven that women respond to stress better when they have friends which is due to oxytocin - also known as the ‘love hormone’ - which is produced when we spend time with people we love. Awwwwww!
Says Dr Dunbar: ‘Bonds can be formed through a range of activities from team sports to male banter—or simply having a pint with your pals on a Friday night.
‘However, the key to maintaining strong friendships is to meet up twice a week and do stuff with the four people closest to you.’
Time to organise wine night with the besties, right?!
This story first appeared on New Idea Food
Amy Sinclair is a former editor who loves all things food, cooking and eating - especially the eating! When she's not looking after her three children, you'll find her in the kitchen or busily hiding online shopping purchases from her husband.
