Facebook Trivia: Study Says Accepting More Friend Requests May Prolong Life

Here's good news for Facebook users: Accepting more friend requests may actually prolong life, according to a recent study. Scientists have found that those who received numerous friend requests were less likely to die over a two-year period compared to those who did not.

According to Los Angeles Times, the findings indicate that people should rethink about the common thought that social networks have no bearing on one's real life. However, the results of the study only speak about accepting more friend requests and not about initiating them.

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the findings give clues on deeper complexities in the relationship between humans' social networks and health. The former refers to both online and in person. Senior author James Fowler from UC San Diego studied the link between the well-being of humans and real-world social networks. After years of studying, he and his colleagues entertained a new idea suggesting the relationship between online networks and health.

The researchers focused on 12 million Facebook users. The former matched the latter to California Department of Public Health vital records and voter registration database. Using anonymized data, the team checked how many had died over two years of follow-up. They made comparisons between people of the same gender and age. The Facebook users were born between 1945 and 1949.

Surprisingly, the researchers have found that friend requests sent are not linked to longevity. On the other hand, there was a connection between friend requests accepted and how long those people lived. Accepting more friend requests can prolong life, for those who did were 34 percent less likely to pass away in the study period.

Additionally, scientists discovered that those who posted numerous real-world interaction photos had lower death risk. This is an indication that personal interactions can indeed improve health and prolong life. The same thing goes for sending messages in moderation.

According to The Vanguard, Fowler said they need to do more studies to have a greater understanding of the relationship between health and social networks. He also stressed that the quality of social relationships is the key, not the quantity.

Almost every action people make has its own psychological effect. The idea of being able to prolong life through accepting more friend requests in Facebook may not yet be proven, but such idea can truly raise thoughts about how social media affects one's health.