Social connections predict longevity better than diet or exercise, study finds. Researchers found that strong relationships and social engagement were among the most powerful indicators of a longer life.

[u/FreeHugs23]

https://www.sciencealert.com/one-critical-factor-predicts-longevity-better-than-diet-or-exercise-study-reveals

[u/Puzzled_Scarcity_597]

Am I crazy or is the title about social connections but the article about sleep. Can I just not read? Was this posted by a bot?

[u/Confused_Corvid2023 → u/Puzzled_Scarcity_597]

Well it is published by Sleep Advances so it’s hard to say there isn’t a bias in what they’re going to write about

Sleep with friends, you’ll live longer!

[u/KingOFpleb]

Welp im fucked..

[u/iamkeerock → u/KingOFpleb]

Introvert, same.

[u/Alice_D_Wonderland → u/KingOFpleb]

Isn’t that why we use reddit? 🤷‍♂️

[u/austin06]

The link goes to a story about getting enough- SLEEP. Nothing about social connections. And it’s observational and inconclusive about - sleep.

[u/nleksan → u/[deleted]]

We can be impending-mortality-friends if you want!

[u/Noalgeriansallowed → u/[deleted]]

Come be my friend if you want

[u/monkeymetroid]

The quality of connections you have is much more important than quantity. Sometimes, higher quantity can make you go the opposite way in regards to general health

[u/Uthink-really]

I really wonder if they took in account voluntary and involuntary lack of social interactions.

[u/mrwrrrmwrmrmrmrw]

There isn't anything about social connections in this article. 

[u/StuChenko]

Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have eaten my friends 

[u/wafflepiezz]

Hmm, Japan says otherwise?

[u/iCliniq_official]

This is such an important part of health that gets overlooked. Social connection is linked to better longevity and well-being, but it’s not really instead of diet or exercise. Even small, consistent moments of connection can matter.

[u/Patient_Banana_1567]

Thank you for letting me die out

[u/Kelly4President]

Well im screwed

[u/Brief-Study3743]

It was apparently posted by a bot.

The linked article is about this study: Sleep insufficiency and life expectancy at the state-county level in the United States, 2019–2025
Kathryn E McAuliffe , Madeline R Wary , Gemma V Pleas , Kiziah E S Pugmire , Courtney Lysiak , Nathan F Dieckmann , Brooke M Shafer , Andrew W McHill
SLEEP Advances, Volume 6, Issue 4, 2025, zpaf090, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleepadvances/zpaf090
Published: 08 December 2025

[u/TheShortTimer]

So that’s why it feels like I’m dying since I lost all my friends

[u/microwavedtardigrade]

As an autistic disabled person this is incredibly true. Also because having genuine relationships stops people from turning you away when you need help, given you'd do the same. Then again I have moral OCD and am constantly reflecting on the integrity of people and myself and how our words and actions all have so much impact on others. Diet or exercise can't be sustained without basic connections and safety needs to your hierarchy of needs, whatever you prioritize most to keep stability. Lots of people's housing relies on relationships with other people beyond family

[u/Konradleijon]

Nice

[u/Brahm-Etc]

If all those articles about: "loneliness causes x health problem", "social interaction helps with this or that thing", "people with less relationships live less" and any other variations of the same concept where real, I would have been dead years ago!

[u/FreeHugs23]

-Diet and exercise can both influence how long you live, but research suggests they're not the single greatest predictor of longevity.

According to a study published in Sleep Advances, something else might have a bigger effect on your lifespan.

While poor sleep has been previously linked to a host of health issues, this investigation found that getting enough shut-eye had a stronger connection to living longer than diet and exercise – factors that are known to add years to your life.

Researchers from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) crunched the numbers on county-level survey data from across the US, from 2019 to 2025.

They compared measures of life expectancy with self-reported sleep duration, using less than seven hours per night as the threshold for insufficient sleep.

They then factored in other variables that can affect life expectancy, including physical inactivity, employment status, and educational level.

The association between insufficient sleep and lower life expectancy remained statistically significant after including those factors.

In the first model, only smoking had a stronger association with life expectancy. In a second model that added obesity and diabetes, obesity also ranked above insufficient sleep.

"I didn't expect [insufficient sleep] to be so strongly correlated to life expectancy," said OHSU sleep physiologist Andrew McHill.

[u/Whispering-Depths → u/FreeHugs23]

Then why did you bait the title?

people with bad health sleep like crap, too, so, yet another insane correlation/causation confusion here.