Is new health policy encouraging friendships?

The different studies measured social interaction in different ways, so the researchers said it was impossible to precisely define positive social interaction.

It it equally difficult to study systematically, as it is impossible to randomly assign people to have friends or not have friends. But Holt-Lundstad said there is some evidence that assigning caretakers does not help improve people's health.

“Naturally occurring relationships may be different than support received from someone who is hired for that purpose,” she said.

Her team found some troubling evidence that Americans are becoming more isolated, and thus losing the support and care that love and friendship provide.

“For instance, trends reveal reduced intergenerational living, greater social mobility, delayed marriage, dual-career families, increased single-residence households, and increased age-related disabilities,” they wrote.

“More specifically, over the last two decades there has been a three-fold increase in the number of Americans who report having no confidant,” they added.

“Such findings suggest that despite increases in technology and globalization that would presumably foster social connections, people are becoming increasingly more socially isolated.”

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