A wood table covered with plates of food. The view is from above and shows the hands and legs of people seated around the table using utensils on their food.

A study published in the journal Science Advances shows blood sugar is different when people eat alone versus with someone else.

Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

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Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

Being more social has a ton of benefits: lower stress, decreased inflammation – even living a longer life! Recently, some scientists have added lowering your blood sugar to the list. To figure it out, researchers had people break bread both in duos and alone. And they think the results could tell us something about the roots of our social nature. Consider it another reason to prioritize our social lives.

Interested in more science in the news? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.

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This episode was produced by Berly McCoy. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineers were Tiffany Vera Castro, Éowyn Fain and Jimmy Keeley.