TY  - JOUR
TI  - Social Relationships and Health
AU  - James S. House
AU  - Karl R. Landis
AU  - Debra Umberson
PY  - 1988
JO  - Science
DO  - 10.1126/science.3399889
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1126/science.3399889
AB  - Recent scientific work has established both a theoretical basis and strong empirical evidence for a causal impact of social relationships on health. Prospective studies, which control for baseline health status, consistently show increased risk of death among persons with a low quantity, and sometimes low quality, of social relationships. Experimental and quasi-experimental studies of humans and animals also suggest that social isolation is a major risk factor for mortality from widely varying causes. The mechanisms through which social relationships affect health and the factors that promote or inhibit the development and maintenance of social relationships remain to be explored.
ER  -