When it comes to your health, being willing to give social support to your spouse, friends and family may be just as important as receiving assistance, a new study from the Ohio State University suggests. Researchers decided to see if giving support may also play an important role in health. They found that on one important measure of health — chronic inflammation — indicators of positive social relationships were associated with lower inflammation only among people who said they were available to provide social support to family and friends. In other words, having friends to lean on may not help your health unless you also say that you’re available to help them when they need it. This may be especially important for women.
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