Friends make you happier and healthier than your family does
The relationship with your family can be really complicated at times. The relationship with your friends though is not. According to a new research from Michigan State University, this happens because “friends are a conscious choice”, as Marie Claire reports.
The research was based on two studies. After studying 300,000 participants aged 15 to 99 from all around the world, the researchers came to the conclusion that those who put a high value on friendships were happier and healthier. Another study observed 7,500 people over the age of 50 in America and looked for a link between their friendships and their state of health. Those with stressful friendships were more likely to get cancer, heart disease and diabetes, while family life didn’t have too much of an impact on someone’s health and wellbeing.
While you shouldn’t ignore your family, ‘with friends you are more likely to do activities – they provide an outlet. You can say things to friends and they are less judgmental. There is a distance there that provides a level of honesty,’ as William Chopik, the author of the study, told the Guardian.
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Those who have strong social bonds increased their odds of living by 50%, according to the research, as the relationships with their friends acted as a tampon against stress and helped increase self-esteem. This is the main reason why we stop being friends with people who no longer provide us with that sense of relief.
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