What could help you slow aging, fight illness and depression, and prolong life?
Friends!
Of course, we know how important friends are. But science is now catching up with recent studies showing friends make your life better in many different ways.
In a New York Times article Tara Parker-Pope wrote about researchers who took students to the base of a steep hill and fitted them with weighted backpacks.
“The students were then asked to estimate the steepness of the hill. Some participants stood next to friends during the exercise, while others were alone.
The students who stood with friends gave lower estimates of the steepness of the hill. And the longer the friends had known each other, the less steep the hill appeared.”
Turning 60, being in your sixties, aging. These can be steep hills in your life. May you stand with friends during these times.
What do friends mean to you? How strong is your support system? Click on Comments, scroll down, and write away.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve just finished reading “Younger Next Year for
Women”, and like a lot of similar books there are
recommendations for eating, exercise, relationships,
and finding passion. The reason this book caught my
attention was the statement that as I approach 60, the
odds are I may live another 30 years – whether I want
to or not! Having lost my sweet husband 3 years ago
felt rather rudderless, and the idea of being adrift
for 30 more years has given me motivation to find new
reasons and ways to live! I’m not even close to the
recommended 4 days of 1 hour aerobic and 2 days of 1
hour strength training, but my dogs are happy to be
getting walked regularly, and I just hired a personal
trainer. Due to the rules to “care, commit, and
connect” I’m volunteering to usher at the local arts
center, and every 3rd Friday I invite a group women
friends to come by for a glass of wine after work –
even when I don’t really feel like socializing!
Yes, Janet, we could indeed have a “bonus” 30 years. But it won’t be much of a bonus if we’re unhappy and unhealthy, will it?
It makes sense that losing your husband would leave you feeling a bit rudderless. I’m glad to hear the book got your attention and that you’re taking action to find new ways & reasons for living. Good for you!
And indeed, we do need to be healthy and happy to enjoy our friends.
And for our friends to enjoy us!
We also need to have the energy to pursue interests with our friends too.
So we do need to do more than maintain friendships.
Yep, we do need to do more than maintain friendships in order to have a good life. And friendships are a key piece, aren’t they?