LIVING near a pub is the key to a happy life, a study has claimed.
If you count yourself lucky enough to have a ‘local’ pub, you’re more likely to have a higher life satisfaction and more close friends than those who do not.
Research by Oxford University revealed the findings in a report written by Professor Robin Dunbar for CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale).
It suggests that living close to a pub creates a strong social network, improving both your happiness and overall health.
Face-to-face meetings are key to maintaining friendships and pubs provide a suitable venue for people to socialise.
The key findings from Professor Dunbar’s study are:
- People who have a ‘local’ have more close friends on whom they can call for support. They’re also happier and more trusting of others and feel more engaged with their wider community
- Casual visitors to the pub, and those in larger pubs, said they consumed significantly more alcohol than those drinking in their ‘local’ or smaller community pubs
- A pub is considerd ‘local’ if it is close to where they live or work
- People in city centre bars may socialise in larger social groups but they are less engaged with those with whom they are associating and have significantly shorter conversations
- A limited alcohol intake improves wellbeing and some (though not all) social skills but these abilities decline as alcohol intake increases beyond a moderate level
