You’ve been told that the worst thing you can do for your health is smoke cigarettes, right? Well, I have great news … it turns out, there’s something even worse.
From the Tampa Bay Times on July 23, 2016 … in a 2015, Psychologist Julianne Holt-Lunstad from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, did an “analysis that compiled data on more than 3.4 million people across 70 studies. She and her colleagues found that the absence of social connections carried the same health risk as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Loneliness led to worse outcomes than obesity. And the findings held true for people of all ages.”
Having rewarding friendships and connecting to others may be one of the biggest contributors to good health and long life. “Early on, it seemed possible that healthier people might simply make more friends. But a growing body of research suggests instead that good friendships actually lead to better health.”
How do we increase our social connections and meaningful relationships? Join us at one of our Food Packaging for the Needy events. Hop on over to our Events Page. It’s 2 hours of fun socializing with other kind people that will help package over 10,000 meals for our friends at local food pantries. We’ll be putting together a nutritionally-balanced, shelf-stable, one-pot meal that’s perfect for a needy family to feed everyone with nothing but a pot and stove. You don’t need to bring a thing, except you! Not 55+? It’s OK, bring someone 55+ and you’re welcome to come too!
Our mission is to engage people in volunteerism, particularly those ages 55+, to help children succeed and elders remain independent by recruiting and training devoted and skillful volunteers. Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1984 and focused on promoting volunteerism. Join the movement and get “Geared Up To Serve”!