Connection Counts when it comes to Longevity!

Connection could keep you younger!

New evidence from the Journal 'Brain, Behaviour and Immunity' emphasises the importance of maintaining both the quality and quantity of social relationships as we age, suggesting a positive association with longevity. 

It can be all too easy in today's world to be disconnected from real human interaction, but this study emphasises the importance of social relationships in mid-life, highlighting that the number of close friends and frequency of contact, alongside higher quality relationships with family members were associated with reduced levels of immunosenescence (immune aging). 

The takeout: Maintaining a variety of social relationships can significantly reduce stress, reducing immune aging in mid-life, so protecting time to connect with others really could keep you younger!

Written: May 2025

Creating daily Micro-habits' could increase your chances of reaching your wellness goals

Habits are powerful things. We probably all know someone who has struggled to stop a negative habit and just how difficult this is. 

One of the reasons for this is that repeated behaviours create neural pathways in the brain, making them more automatic and efficient, but this can also lead to rigid patterns and difficulty changing. 

Positive habits, however, like exercise can boost brain health, stimulating neurogenesis (the creation of new neurones) whilst also wiring your brain to make this positive behaviour more automatic.

Often when we commit to a new exercise regime or nutritional plan we go all out, planning to go to the gym or take part in our chosen exercise for extended periods of time or perhaps, when adopting a new diet, we throw out the old one completely and expect ourselves to be able to adopt the new one in it's whole, even when that might mean multiple behaviour changes.   

Science suggests that creating micro-habits could be a more successful route, that is, gradually adding small sustainable habits to your life that you are able to repeat with success until they become automatic.  This could be, 'I will have vegetables with every dinner' OR 'I will do 10 sit ups every morning' OR 'I will walk for 20 minutes after work every day.'....I am sure you get it! 

The trick is to make sure you are clear on your end goal and not to commit to too much too quickly. 3 habits at once is a good start.

The takeout: Creating small daily micro-habits that fit into your day and are aligned with your wellness goals is a positive way to hardwire your brain to make adoption of a healthier lifestyle easier! 

If you're interested in the science of habits formation read  the study. 

Written: July 2025