Converting white fat into brown is notoriously difficult, normally requiring long term exposure to cold conditions or activating part of the body’s nervous system.

However, scientists from Ohio State University now think that having a busy social life is an even more effective way of changing white fat into brown.

The team came up with their theory by studying the effects of various living environments on mice.

Those who lived alongside a greater number of mice, had more space and toys to stimulate them lost far more weight over the course of the study than their ‘couch potato’ counterparts.