OMG Digital Magazine OMG Issue 287 14th December 2017 | Page 30

OMG Digital Magazine | 287 | Thursday 14 December 2017 • PAGE 30
Health
3 Unexpected Ways the Holidays Can
Improve Your Health By Mehmet Oz, MD
Celebrating the season can have a healthy
payoff.
Sometimes December feels like one long cheat day—
more food, less exercise, and promises that we’ll make
up for it all in January. But getting into the spirit of
things might also have unexpected wellness benefits.
Here are some ways the holidays can help your health.
Socializing Can Be a Lifesaver
The extra hours you spend talking, laughing, or caroling
with friends and family may increase your chances
of living a longer, more robust life. When researchers
looked at nearly 150 studies on social relationships and
mortality, they found that people with stronger social
ties had 50 percent higher odds of survival than those
with weaker connections. (That’s comparable to the
longevity boost you might get from never smoking.)
On the flip side, a separate analysis found that social
isolation and feelings of loneliness increased mortality
risk by an average of 29 and 26 percent, respectively.
Another recent study showed that blood pressure and
levels of inflammation, which can indicate stress or
disease, increased with social isolation.
Charitable Giving
Has a Boomerang Effect
Regardless of your reason for giving—even if you feel
obligated to do so—donating to an individual or a
group can make you feel great. Research shows that
givers really are happier than people who spend on
themselves, and one study suggests that contributing
just $5 toward someone else’s needs is enough to lift
your mood. Brain scans reveal that when people give,
the brain’s reward processing center lights up, which
may prompt the release of feel-good chemicals that
produce what psychologists call a helper’s high. In
addition, charitable behavior may also lead to lower
blood pressure and lower levels of the stress hormone
cortisol.
Forgiving Helps You Flourish
Does a roast turkey give you flashbacks to the dinner
when Aunt Gladys criticized your cooking skills—and
your parenting style? I’m sure I’m not the first person
to tell you that letting bygones be bygones can lift
your mood: Research indicates that those who harbor
a grudge may feel angrier and sadder when they think
about the past. But forgiveness may also be good
for your physical health, as it’s associated with lower
blood pressure and heart rate. It may even help you
fight off illness: In a small 2011 study presented at the
Society of Behavioral Medicine’s annual meeting, HIV
patients who had forgiven someone had higher CD4
cell percentages, indicating better immune function.
Forgiveness doesn’t always
come easily, so it’s
nice to know that
practicing goodwill
toward others
has a personal
payoff, too.