A new study has just concluded that loneliness plays a huge role in decline in old age, which is why experts are saying that the amount of time you spend with your parents and grandparents could play a huge role in how long they live.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco carried out the study, which involved them following 1,600 adults, with an average age of 71. Though they controlled socioeconomic status and health, they found that the lonely consistently held higher mortality rates, with almost 23% of lonely participants dying within six years of the study. This was in contrast to only 14% of those that reported adequate companionship passing away in the same time period.

“The need we’ve had our entire lives—people who know us, value us, who bring us joy—that never goes away,” said Barbara Moscowitz, senior geriatric social worker at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Rosemary Blieszner, a professor of human development at Virginia Tech, explained that elderly people place a greater value on these relationships, overlooking a lot more things in their interactions with others than their children and grandchildren do.

“They’re pretty tolerant of friends’ imperfections and idiosyncrasies, more than young adults,” she said. “You bring a lot more experience to your friendships when you’re older. You know what’s worth fighting about and not worth fighting about.”

This is why experts are saying that it’s crucial to foster close relationships with the elders in our lives. For senior citizens, these relationships could quite literally be the difference between life and death!