If you’ve just “wasted” a couple of minutes joking around with a co-worker while your duties await, don’t feel guilty. You might just be prolonging your life. Last month the American Psychological Association published a study which found that your longevity might increase if your co-workers help in problem solving and show a friendly demeanour.

Work-Based Predictors of Mortality: a 20-year follow-up of health employees monitored 820 healthy adults in Israel’s largest companies, questioning them on their roles and how they interacted with fellow employees. The researchers at Tel Aviv University concluded, among other things, that, “Peer social support, which could represent how well a participant is socially integrated in his or her employment context, is a potent predictor of the risk of all causes of mortality.”

So if a healthy retirement is in your plans, encourage friendly support and cultivate an atmosphere of warmth and camaraderie among your colleagues. You might be doing yourself – and them – a big favour.