Moms are the best and it makes our hearts happy when we can spend quality time with them. But according to a study, as much as hanging out with our moms brings happiness to us, it’s actually quite beneficial to our mom’s health and may even extend her life.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found that loneliness can be detrimental to those that are older and can contribute to a decline in health, according to Oprah Magazine. Of the 1,600 elderly individuals that researchers followed, 23 percent of those that reported they were lonely passed away within six years of the study, whereas only 14 percent of those that said they had adequate companionship passed away within that time frame.
Barbara Moscowitz, senior geriatric social worker at Massachusetts General Hospital, told The New York Times that “the need we’ve had our entire lives — people who know us, value us, who bring us joy — that never goes away.”
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According to the findings of the study, those that are older place greater value in companionship. Rosemary Blieszner, a professor of human development at Virginia Tech, told The New York Times that, due to their life experiences and wisdom, older individuals often overlook more in a relationship, and know what’s worth fighting about and what isn’t.
So invite over your older relatives, including your mom, because not only does it benefit us to be in our mother’s embrace, but it benefits her, too. Plus, maybe mom might cook us one of her famous home cooked meals.