New research has found that female baboons that socializze with males live two to three years longer than the other females. The study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B came up with the conclusive results after analyzing near-daily records for yellow baboons living near Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya for 27 years.
The baboons groomed each other to make friends and cement social bonds. There were 204 females who took part in this activity. The friendliest females lived longer than the more isolated peers and it was found that the flirty bunch lived longer regardless of their rank or group size.
The reason why the interaction helped increase longevity was because it reduced chronic stress, boosted immune function and improved the baboon’s access to food and water.
Females socializing with both sexes fared better but it was the male-female interaction that gave bigger benefits than friendships with other females.
