A dear friend of mine sent me a copy of an article by Tara Parker-Pope with the title : WHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR? A LONGER LIFE. The gist of the article is that one of the most powerful weapons for slowing aging and prolonging life is to have good friends. In addition to sending the article to me, she emailed it to two other mutual friends.
The four of us met in the graduate student dorm at the University of Minnesota. Our friendship has lasted over 40 years. In the last 15 years we started having yearly five day reunions. We have been there for each other through the joys and tribulations that life brings.
It is interesting to read that researchers are now validating what the four of us long ago figured out. We knew that our friendship made our lives richer and that our bond augmented our lives. What we did not know was that it would also help us live longer.
Developing and keeping good friendships needs to be added to the recommendations on how to age vibrantly.
