This physical world can consume your entire spirit if you let it. Luckily, our closest friends can make the 
experience of life slightly less traumatic. Not only is there a significant correlation between your average incomes; groups of friends typically will have similar diets, participate in similar recreational activities, and exercise as frequently as one another. These interactions can influence our predispositions to certain diseases. For example, couples and friends that smoke cigarettes together have an increased propensity of developing lung cancer. Conscious ‘group soul’ lifestyle changes can influence our health and well-being with increased momentum and effectiveness. For example, a group of friends that join the gym together are more likely to make exercising a habit in comparison to taking on the task alone. It has also been found that friends who have no biological affinity have more similar DNA with their friends than with strangers. There’s something magical about our closest friendships, one can learn to leverage this connection and use it to improve the overall health of their favorite group of humans.
Written by: Student Doctor Navpreet Singh Badesha
Photo credit: Unknown
This study was published in the Journal of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by Dr. Nicholas Christakis of the sociology and medicine department of Yale University.
