Having friends is good and good for your health.

The maxim that says that those who have friends have everything gained even more credibility. A research carried out by the Harvard Medical School, in the United States – one of the most reputable Universities in the world – states that friendship can positively affect people’s health, even increasing life expectancy.

According to research, friendship works as a motivational factor that infects people helping them to achieve more well-being, happiness, quality of life and improve mood through the simple influence that one person can have on another.

According to the thesis, sedentary people are more likely to adhere to an exercise routine when they live with gymnastics practitioners. Likewise, those who accompany a friend who has quit smoking are more likely to quit smoking. In other words, becoming part of a group of friends with healthy habits, sooner or later you will end up adhering to this model of life.

According to psychologists, this process is part of the human being’s natural need and instinct to become equal in order to be accepted by the group, a fact that has happened since the dawn of time when primates banded together to protect themselves from other larger groups, ensuring survival.

Based on the research, it would not be frivolous to say that happiness is contagious, because according to her, living with optimistic and happy people increases your chances of feeling happy by up to 60%.

But as not everything is flowers, in the same way that positive attitudes are contagious, negative attitudes can also influence people’s lives and behavior, remembering that old saying “tell me who you hang out with and I’ll tell you who you are”.

It is evident that there are exceptions, after all, there are people who are more susceptible and influenced than others, open and vulnerable to any kind of change, whether for good or for bad.

While many invest in self-help books, therapy sessions and even medicines to achieve a healthier and happier life, an alternative to improve well-being can be to invest in expanding the cycle of friendships.

In another survey carried out with 1500 people in Australia as part of a work called the Longitudinal Study of Aging, several elderly people were asked about their social activity, profession, how much time they had available to dedicate to their children, grandchildren and other relatives and how many friends they had. . The years went by and among several evaluations made with the group, the scientists observed that people who had a longer cycle of friends lived longer.

In another study carried out by Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, it was found that patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and who lived surrounded by friends, had the symptoms of the disease alleviated, which according to physician Wayne Matthews, from Carolina State University Norte, it is not explained, but it works as a kind of friendship magic, which protects the patient and delays the manifestations of the disease.

One of the ways to try to understand what happens is by analyzing that real friends, as well as close relatives, always value the good of the person, above all, that’s why they encourage each other to take care of their health and have habits of life and healthy food.

Anyone who has real friends knows the difference it makes having someone to vent, confide in or simply keep company in a difficult time. Advice from friends, even if they are not right, start from the basic premise that it is the good will of one for the other and this already works as a factor to give more security, the feeling that, even if everything goes wrong, you will never be alone. .

In the case of women, friendship seems to be a factor in even greater longevity, in relation to men. According to research carried out at Harvard, women who have trusted friends find it easier to get over the loss of their husband.

In addition to these studies, there are a number of others that prove by A + B that having friends and relating to them is a factor that is directly linked to health, humor, healing and better results in the treatment of diseases, professional success, physical and psychological well-being, improved disposition, the way of facing life overcoming difficulties, among others. Therefore, you have a number of good reasons to take care of your friends and make more and more friends every day to multiply the joys and share the sadness that may appear.

Now that you’ve finished reading this article, how about using it as an excellent excuse to gather friends and celebrate life?

The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only. They do not replace the advice and follow-up of doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, physical education professionals and other specialists.