A well-known study in 1979 found that people who socialize with others live longer than people who keep to themselves. A new study shows that socializing online may have health benefits as well. To test the theory, researchers from Harvard, Yale, Northeastern and the University of California at San Diego looked at the Facebook profiles of 12 million people. Then they compared the profiles with the California Department of Public Health records over a two-year period from 2011 to 2013. The researchers found that that people with more friends online were less likely to die than similar people who were not as connected. The researchers published their findings in an article titled Online social integration is associated with reduced mortality risk in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Not all Facebook usage was connected to a longer life. Getting friend requests related to reduced mortality, but sending friend requests did not.
