A recent 20-year study from Tel Aviv University reported “people who felt that they had the support of their colleagues and generally positive social interactions at work were less likely to die.” (The New York Times, August 5, 2011, “Friendly Workplace Linked to Longer Life,” by Anahad O’Connor.) In comparison those “people who believed they had little or no emotional support in the workplace” had a significantly higher mortality risk “compared with the workers who developed stronger bonds with their peers in other cubicles.”

The study covered 820 adults in jobs from finance, health care, insurance, and manufacturing, and age ranges from 25 to 65. Those suspected of having physical or mental health problems were excluded from the study. Over the study’s 20 years, 53 of the 820 died, “most of them had cast their work support networks in a negative light.”

Correlation is not causation but it is fascinating.

Closing quotes:

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” — Leo Buscaglia

“One can pay back the loan of gold, but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind.” — Malayan Proverb

“How beautiful a day can be
When kindness touches it!”
— George Elliston