Since childhood, each person has their own concept of friendship. We consider the last variant of friendship to be the most healthy and correct, and the scientific world agrees with us.
Scientists from various countries have studied friendship for many decades and have come to the conclusion that its quality can affect not only our psychological health, but also our physical health. Of course, this applies to those cases of relationships where feelings are mutual.
Let's see the results of neuroscientists, psychologists and scientists who have identified 10 facts in favor of a full partnership between people.
10. Friendship reduces the risk of heart problems
Canadian scientists conducted research and found that stable friendships soothe and ease a person’s life that they can even stabilize their heart rate. Professors gathered international students in Montreal and over the course of 5 months monitored their communication, assessing pressure and heart rate. As it turned out, those subjects who were able to make friends after moving to a new place of study, could boast a healthier heart and good biological indicators. Others had different types and strengths of the disorder: arrhythmia, bradycardia, tachycardia, pressure surges, etc. If you want prevention from heart attack and heart failure, establish communication with friends.
9. Helps to lose weight
This time, American researchers were surprised to take up the study of the relationship between human weight and having friends. Researchers gathered a group of well-fed people and tracked how soon they would lose those extra pounds. The observations are extremely interesting - those "puffies", in whose environment there were more slender friends, lost weight more intensively than others who hung out in the company of fat men. Psychologists explain this phenomenon simply - the constant sight of thin and fit friends who take care of attention, gives rise to complexes in full people and makes them follow the example. Of course, we do not accept this fact in defense of a real partnership, because a good friend encourages you and accepts you for who you are. And complexes and self-doubt indicate that friendship has developed a pathological nature.
8. Makes us more beautiful
Here, even without scientists, you can understand that being in the company of free and self-confident friends makes you the same. During parties or walks, we try to “fit”, putting on the best outfits, using perfume, honing etiquette and speech. And a good friend will always cheer you up and raise your self-esteem if, for example, a person of the opposite sex does not appreciate us. For a friend, we are always beautiful, pleasant, wonderful people. And the more often they repeat this to us, the more we open and blossom. Of course, we are talking about friendship with worthy people whom I want to focus on. Friendship with the “gopniks” also leads to degradation - we put on “what’s necessary”, don’t think about the elementary maintenance of external attractiveness, and manners leave much to be desired.
7. Extends life
Scientists and psychologists say that older people who still communicate with their friends live an order of magnitude longer than single people. The arguments are quite objective. For example, fruitful communication distracts a person from moaning about his life and pity for loneliness, which wears out the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system. Also, proper spending time outdoors does not leave time for bad habits, because, according to statistics, people without friends smoke and drink more often in their seclusion. That is, loners are almost 5 times more likely to suffer from diseases and bad habits than sociable people. And one more argument - friendship helps fight stress and depression, as if taking away part of a negative psychological burden. And this is important for preserving youth and prolonging life in the elderly.
6. Improves our mental state
North Carolina scholars say good friendship charges a person with positive emotions. Two groups took part in the experiment: one lived an ordinary life, and the second meditated daily every day with positive thoughts about friends. In the second group, the physiology of the vagus nerve was better - such people were more likely to enjoy life, were more mentally healthy and less sick.
Together with friends, we have fun, share experiences, actively discuss things that interest us, which improves the secretion of neurotransmitters (dopamine) and happiness hormones (serotonin). Friendship saves from prolonged depression, relieves sadness, which strengthens our psyche.
5. Accelerates cancer treatment
Scientists from the United States observed a group of patients with ovarian cancer. It was noted that in patients who were often visited by friends and acquaintances, the level of protein associated with malignant processes fell, which can not be said about people who were without support. The same study was conducted in patients with breast cancer. It was found that in those who were more active in communicating with their comrades, the period of remission and survival could increase by 2 times compared with single individuals.
4. Helps with stress
And again, American scientists conducted an experiment in which stressful situations were invented for subjects. Those participants who were in a company with a friend had more stable blood pressure than single people. Interestingly, in this case, the friend should only be present, but not say anything. As it turned out, to stabilize the emotional background and reduce stress, the positive and compassionate energy that a friend provides is enough.
3. Raises the pain threshold
Experts interviewed subjects for friends, their number and frequency of meetings. Then they were asked to sit down, bending their legs strictly at an angle of 90 ° and stay in this position for as long as possible. It was found that people with many friends were able to tolerate pain on average 4 minutes longer. Psychologist Johnson, the author of the experiment, says that strong friendships normalize the secretion of endorphins, the natural “painkiller” components.
2. Teaches you to listen
Full-fledged friendship in a person develops a desire not only to receive, but also to give. If we sincerely love a friend, we are interested in his affairs, ask in various details about the events of his life, console in moments of grief and rejoice in the days of happiness. A person can sometimes forget for hours about his troubles and problems if his companion has a grief or a strong nuisance. And at this moment, we push forward the selfish desire to throw our stress on a person, and we learn to be compassionate, so to speak, “to shoulder up”.
1. Eliminates loneliness
Whatever people say about the benefits of solitude and the possibility of working on ourselves, but at some point we all need friends. Why emotions and impressions, why happy events, if you absolutely cannot tell anyone about them and share your joy. The same applies to stress, because it’s very difficult to fight life’s burdens alone. Among other things, friendship takes our leisure time, helps to walk, travel, move, engage in active work more often. There are so many things in the world that we decide only in the company of another person, and alone we don’t even have enthusiasm and desire.
These factors demonstrate that friendship is important not only for the socialization of an individual, but also for strengthening a person’s health and prolonging his youth. Appreciate good friends and never destroy strong bonds because of silly little things.