6 Reasons Why Making Time for Your Friends Is So Good For Your Health
Like you needed an excuse to go out with the girls tonight, right? But, really, if your life has gotten so busy that you have little time for fun, and friends, consider a wake-up call. Our expert weighs in on the important reasons friends are so good for you...
I recently had a chance to check out a copy of the new book, The Friendship Fix: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Losing, and Keeping Up With Your Friends, by psychologist Andrea Bonior, Ph.D., and loved the smart advice about friendship. Andrea recently shared some pretty fabulous ways good friendships benefit our health:
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- Better Habits:__ "Good friendships—with healthy people—tend to have contagion effects. That means that when you spend time with those who are good for you, your healthy behaviors improve--everything from wearing your seatbelt and slathering on sunscreen to being more patient and forgiving. Both consciously and subconsciously, healthy friends make you want to be a healthier you."
2. Warning You When Things Aren't Right:"Your friends aren't just role models, but they also serve as thermometers of your current mental and physical health. Often, it is friends who are on the case first, whether your drinking's gotten to be a bit much or you're starting to overwork yourself into oblivion. Without the people who know you best and have a vested interest in seeing you healthy, it's much harder to know when you're slipping into bad patterns."
3. Protecting Against Depression: "In this constantly inter-connected but not always truly connected world, a sense of isolation is common, even if someone has enough Facebook "friends" to fill an IMAX theater. But close, nourishing friendships can help ward off thoughts and behaviors that are associated with depression, and help you recover more quickly if it does strike."
