Spending Time with Friends Is Really Good for Your Health – Hallás utáni értés B2 (középfok)

Spending Time with Friends Is Really Good for Your Health

Several studies say getting together with your friends does wonders for your overall well-being. Clear your schedule and pack your bags and get ready to go on a trip. If your boss or your family are not happy about it or your dog gives you sad little puppy eyes, tell them that you’re doing it for your health – and it won’t even be a lie. Science says an occasional minibreak with your friends is good for you.

While we all love our families, it has been proven that friendship can extend life expectancy, lower the chances of heart disease, and even help us better tolerate pain. Really! Psychologists were able to predict the size of someone’s social network based on how much pain they were able to withstand. Friendships also make us feel good. Researchers found evidence that hanging out with friends can increase the production of oxytocin, the feel-good hormone that our bodies make when we’re happy. Science has shown that oxytocin can make people more trusting, more generous, and friendlier, all the things you look for in friends.

Conversely, according to the clever folks at Harvard, people who don’t have strong friendships tend to be more depressed and, frighteningly enough, were more likely to die at a younger age. One study, which looked at the lives of more than three hundred thousand people, found that a lack of strong social relationships increased the risk of early death from all causes by 50%, which was about the same effect as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

Having friends is scientifically good for your health, but it can be hard to maintain those friendships. People move, jobs change, kids finish school, and maintaining friendships can be difficult and the annual Christmas letter or occasional Facebook update is not always enough. It can be hard to balance busy lives with keeping up with long-distance friendships.

Plus, in a series of studies, psychologist William Chopik from Michigan State University, found that in older adults, friendships are more important for health and happiness than relationships with family members. “Keeping a few really good friends around can make a world of difference for our health and well-being,” he said. “So, it’s smart to invest in the friendships that make you the happiest.” So, clear your schedule and start planning your weekend away—for your health.

Key: 

Spending Time with Friends Is Really Good for Your Health

1. You should pack your bags and get ready to go on a trip.
2. If your boss is not happy about the trip, tell him or her that you’re doing it for your health.
3. Friendship lowers the risk of heart disease.
4. Friendship helps us tolerate pain.
5. Friends can increase the production of it. It also makes people more trusting, more
generous, and friendlier.
6. They are more depressed and more likely to die at a younger age.
7. It can be hard/difficult because people move, jobs change, kids finish school.
8. Friendships are more important for health and happiness than relationships with family members.