Nothing beats human contact to reduce the risk of depression. Lunch with the family, picnics with friends, outings with the grandchildren… Seniors who multiply their social relationships have high morale and half the risk of depression than those who only receive shots. wires, emails or Skype calls, depending on the conclusions of this study.
Researchers from the Oregon Health and Sciences University (USA) analyzed medical data obtained through the “Health and retirement survey”, for which 11 000 adults over 50 were surveyed between 2004 and 2010.
Technology does not replace human contact
The researchers observed that participants who had physically spent time with family or friends, at least three times a week, showed the least signs of depression. This was the case for only 6.5% of them. On the other hand, if family and friend contacts were restricted, the elderly were twice as likely to show signs of depression.
“Phone calls and digital technologies for communicating with friends or family members do not have the same power as direct social interactions in helping to avoid depression,” says Alan Teo, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Oregon Health & Science University and lead author of this study.
These conclusions do not only apply to seniors but to the entire population and planning a little time with loved ones could prove to be “a preventive treatment like taking vitamins regularly”, concludes the researcher.
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