# behav: the social / antisocial flexibility of yellow-bellied marmots (M. flaviventer)

<< Humans in strong social relationships are more likely to live longer because social relationships may buffer stressors and thus have protective effects. However, a shortcoming of human studies is that they often rely on self-reporting of these relationships. >>

AA << focused on socially flexible yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) and asked whether female longevity covaries with the specific nature of social relationships. >>

AA << found a significant negative phenotypic correlation between affiliative social relationship strength and longevity; marmots with greater degree, closeness and those with a greater negative average shortest path length died at younger ages. >>

<< sociality plays an important role in longevity, but how it does so may depend on whether a species is obligately or facultatively social. >>

Daniel T. Blumstein, Dana M. Williams, et al.   Strong social relationships are associated with decreased longevity in a facultatively social mammal. Proc Royal Soc B. Biol Sci. Jan 17, 2018. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1934.

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/285/1871/20171934

Douglas Quenqua. Being Antisocial Leads to a Longer Life. For Marmots. NYTimes. Jan. 17, 2018.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/01/17/science/marmots-antisocial-lifespan.html