The more social ties people have, the better their health is during adolescence and the golden years of their lives, says a new study.“Based on these findings, it should be as important to encourage adolescents and young adults to build broad social relationships and social skills for interacting with others, as it is to eat healthy and be physically active,” said one of the researchers Kathleen Harris, professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US.The study builds on previous research that shows that ageing adults live longer if they have more social connections.Specifically, the team found that the sheer size of a person’s social network was important for health in early and late adulthood. -IANS