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Family nagging is good for your health, especially if you are above 30, according to a new study.

A study from University of Lincoln found through a series of interview with adults from across the UK  that the least active people felt that constant nagging from their family - spouse or children - affected their health in a positive way.

"We might be sat comfortable, reading or something, and my wife might say 'Let's go and do something'. And when I'm at the cross-roads, 50:50, I need that," one of the participants of the interview said.

Nagging by family and friends helps because they act like constant reminders for people to lose weight or just become more active rather than living a sedentary life.

The study also suggested that most researchers look at factors like age or ethnicity that are fixed. The present study differed as it focused on analyzing modifiable social influences on motivation towards physical activity.

"The aim of this study was to help people examine their lifestyles as a whole and establish what key factors are influencing their activity levels. The most common barriers to achieve lifestyles were work, long commute and provision of facilities. However, it became clear that if you know who to ask, it is also possible for your social network to help you be more active, by going for a run with your colleagues straight after work," said an author of the study, Dr. Richard Keegan, from School of Sport, Coaching and Exercise Science at University of Lincoln.

The authors show that married men live longer because their wives literally nag them in to seeing their doctor more often, eating healthier food and exercising more often.

Married men are 6 percent more likely to go to the doctor than single men who have no one to remind them about a pending visit to the doctor.

The study also found that women were 34 percent more likely to keep fit through exercise when they were in a relationship.

"An individual who is in a relationship usually wants the partner in good health because they care for them," said another author of the study, Hendrik Schmitz, of Germany's Ruhr Graduate School in Economics.