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It may come as old news to many women, but it seems a bit of retail therapy really is good for you.
A day at the shops can help you live longer, says a study.
And surprisingly, the benefits are actually greater for men.
The study even suggests the long-term survival benefits of shopping are better than going to the gym.
Seeing friends and just people-watching can stave off loneliness and improve psychological health, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
It looked at almost 1,850 people aged 65 and over living independently at home in Taiwan, who were asked how often they went shopping.
The researchers then tracked how long each of the participants lived by linking individuals to national death registration data between 1999 and 2008.
They found those who shopped daily lived longer than those who shopped less frequently, even after taking account of people’s physical or other health problems.
Going to the shops every day cut the chances of a participant dying during the period of the study by more than a quarter compared with those who don’t shop regularly.
Older men who frequently popped out to the shops had the best survival record, with a reduction of 28 per cent in their chances of dying, while older women saw slightly less benefit with a 23 per cent cut in dying.
Researchers led by Dr Yu-Hung Chang at the National Health Research Institutes, in Zhunan, Taiwan, accept that those who shopped regularly may have been in better health to begin with.
They said: 'An elder who shops less for food would be at risk of poorer diet quality necessary to maintain health. A vicious cycle that involves limited shopping and poor diet could evolve for elders.'
But the study added: ‘In shopping venues, socialising with, or watching others can provide social and mental benefits.
‘Compared with other types of leisure-time physical activity, like formal exercise, which usually requires motivation and sometimes professional instruction, shopping is easier to undertake and maintain.
參考譯文：
這對許多女人來說也許不是什么新聞，但是逛街似乎確實對人有好處。
一項研究稱，在商店里逛上一天可以讓你更長壽。
令人意外的是，事實上逛街對男人的益處更大。
該研究還顯示，長期來看，逛街比健身還更有助于長壽。
這一發表在《流行病學與公共衛生雜志》網刊上的研究表明，見見朋友或光是看看路人就可以排遣寂寞，改善心理健康。
該研究調查了臺灣1850名在家中獨立生活且年齡在65歲以上的老人，了解他們出去購物的頻率。
研究人員還通過跟進1999年到2008年間臺灣死亡登記資料，了解每位參與者的壽命。
研究人員發現，在將這些人的身體狀況、疾病等因素考慮在內的情況下，那些每天都出去購物的人比那些不經常購物的人壽命更長。
在參與調查的人當中，每天都去商店購物的人在研究進行過程中死亡的幾率比那些不定期購物的人要低25％以上。
經常逛街的老年男性壽命最長，逛街使他們的死亡率降低了28%。相比而言，逛街對老年女性的益處則相對小些，能使她們的死亡率降低23%。
研究人員承認，那些定期購物的人也許原本身體就比較好。該研究的領頭人是位于竹南的臺灣衛生研究院的張宇宏（音譯）醫生。
他們說：“一個不經常外出購買食品的老年人，他的膳食質量可能無法達到維持健康所需的標準。這將造成惡性循環，一方面不常購物導致飲食不良，而飲食不良又會限制老年人的出行。”
不過研究補充說：“在購物場所，和人交談，或是看看其他人也可以豐富社交生活，有益心理健康。
“其他的休閑體育活動，如正規的鍛煉通常需要動力才能堅持，有時還需要專業指導，相比之下，逛街則更容易進行，也更容易堅持下去。”
