+ have a lot of close friends. According to an 80 year Harvard study, the quality of close relationships was among the biggest factors in long term health. “Th

+ have a lot of close friends. According to an 80 year Harvard study, the quality of close relationships was among the biggest factors in long term health. “The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health,” said Robert Waldinger, director of the study, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too. That, I think, is the revelation.”