Are Friends the Secret of a Longer Life?

People who want to improve their health tend to turn to doctors, self-help books or
nutritional supplements and rarely think of a powerful weapon that could help them fight
illness and depression, speed their recovery, even slow aging and prolong life: their friends.
Researchers have only recently started to pay attention to the importance of friendship and
social networks in overall health. A study found that older people with a large circle of friends
were less likely to die in the study period than those with fewer friends. Another study
established that strong social ties could promote brain health as we age.
According to Bella DePaulo, a visiting psychology professor at the University of California,
Santa Barbara, who studies single people and friendships, friendship is likely to have an even
greater effect on health than a spouse or family member. In a study of nurses with breast
cancer, having a spouse wasn't associated with survival.
This find is supported by a new book, 'The Girls From Ames: A Story of Women and a 40-
Year Friendship', which tells the story of 11 childhood friends from Iowa, who had moved to
eight different states. Despite the distance, their friendships endured through college and
marriage, as well as divorce and other crises.
One of these women has recently learned she has breast cancer. When she got her diagnosis,
instead of turning to her loved ones as her doctor suggested, she reached out to her childhood
friends, even though they lived far away. She emailed her friends immediately and without
delay got emails and phone calls and messages of support.
She said that she was often more comfortable discussing her illness with her girlfriends than
with her doctor, and that her friends have been an essential factor in her treatment and
recovery. Research bears her out since it has been found, for example, that out of nearly 3,000
nurses with breast cancer, women without close friends were four times as likely to die from
the disease as women with 10 or more friends. Furthermore, having the friends nearby or the
amount of contact with a friend was not associated with survival. Just having friends was
enough.
Some research has also shown that men's health can benefit from friendships as well as
women's. In a study of the connection between social support and the health of middle-age
Swedish men being emotionally involved with a single person didn't appear to affect the risk
of heart attack or fatal coronary heart disease, but having several friendships did.
It is not quite clear why having friends has such a big effect. It is likely, however, that beside
people with strong social ties also having better access to health services and care, friendship
has a profound psychological effect. People with strong friendships are even less likely than
others get colds, which may be due to having lower stress levels since people with friends
always have someone to turn to.
Mark the sentence A if it is true according to the article.
Mark the sentence B if it false according to the article.
Mark the sentence C if, on the basis of the article, it cannot be decided if it is true or
false.
Write the letters in the boxes after the sentences.

1. Research has shown that having friends is beneficial for cognitive processes.
2. Bella DePaulo thinks that it is better to live alone than to be married.
3. The woman who recovered from breast cancer did not need the help of her family
memb to get better.
4. Sending supportive emails is the best way to help sick friends.
5. According to research the more friends we have, the longer we live.
6. Having friends is good for your health only if you see them often.
7. Men's health benefits less from having friends than women's health.
8. The reason why friendship is so good for our health have not been mapped yet.
9. People with a lot of friends are more likely to receive proper health care than those
with no friends.
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 Phrases and idioms:

1. Pain in the neck –

 Oh, he’s such a pain in the neck! Always just when I’m going home, he gives me
some extra work to do.

2. A people person –
 Tom is enthusiastic and positive and he is a people person.

3. A party animal –
 Are you going out again tonight? You are such a party animal.

4. Cheapskate –
 He is a cheapskate when it comes to his clothes. He’s never bought a new shirt or a
new pair of trousers in all the years that I’ve known him.

5. Life and soul of the party –

 It was a great night, Jim was life and soul of the party.

6. Down-to-earth –
 Despite his wealth, he was a down-to-earth man. He was very generous and had a
kind heart.

7. Early bird –
 My Mum is the early bird in our family, she gets up at 5 o’clock in the morning.

8. Larger than life –

 All who knew him would agree that his personality was larger than life, he was a joy
to be around.

9. Big mouth –
 Sarah will tell everybody, she’s such a big mouth. Nothing I tell her is going to be a
secret.
10. Scrooge –
 My last boss was a real Scrooge, for years we never received a Christmas bonus.

11. Daydreamer –
 I’ve always been a bit of a daydreamer in school.

12. Laid-back –
 Our managing editor was a laid-back person but he’s recently begun snapping at
the employees.

13. Have a screw loose –

 Jane’s aunt obviously had a screw loose, just by the way she spoke.

14. Full of yourself–

 Jack was always full of himself and liked to pick on his friends.

15. Smart cookie –

 Just give him any particular problem, he’ll get it sorted out in no time at all. He’s a
real smart cookie.

16. Chatterbox –
 My son always gets detentions in school for talking in class, he is such a chatterbox.

17. Dark horse –

 I didn’t know Nick could play the guitar so well. He is a real dark horse!

18. Lone wolf –

 Jack became a real lone wolf since his wife passed away last year. He never goes
out.