Don’t Want to Socialize? One surprising reason you should do it anyways.

What if you don’t want to socialize?

Sometimes the last thing you want to do is see another human being.

But…

Have you ever been fatigued to the point where you didn’t feel like hanging out with friends, but you forced yourself to attend some sort of gathering anyways? Did it ever end up that, after you drug yourself there through sheer will power, you actually enjoyed yourself?

Maybe you got into a really positive conversation.

Maybe you laughed the night away.

Maybe you stayed longer than you expected or meant to.

And by the end of the evening, you forgot all about how you didn’t want to socialize.

Well it turns out, that phenomena you were experiencing–where social interaction positively impacts well being–is scientifically prove-able.

According to Ohio State University researchers who studied mice who’d undergone surgery, the benefits of companionship include reducing stress, increasing pain tolerance and healing quicker.

After the aforementioned mice came out of surgery, some were given private “rooms” to recover while others shared their recovery space with another mouse.

Those who spent their recovery with other mice healed more quickly from inflammation, were less stressed and required a higher level of force before feeling pain.

Better yet, the more time the mice spent with companions, the better they fared.

Courtney DeVries, professor of neuroscience at Ohio State University, and other researchers are hopeful the study will have positive implications for the 6% of people who suffer from nerve related pain which can cause extreme skin sensitivity that is difficult to treat.

Socially isolated individuals are physiologically different from socially paired individuals, DeVries says. And social interaction, in this case, didn’t just improve attitudes, but led to provablephysical improvements. [Read more about the study here.]

So go ahead, even if you don’t feel like you want to socialize, go have lunch with that friend today. :)