(Friendship Day Special)

We've heard about the importance of friends in our life. But a study from Australia proved that, friends would not only cherish our lives... but prolong it too! Conducted by the Centre for Ageing Studies at Flinders University, the study followed nearly 1,500 older people for 10 years. It found that those who had close friends outlived the rest by 22%.

A medical journal from US named PLOS has also found a link between high mortality and lack of social network. The Huffington post has recently quoted a study from 2005, which concluded that `weak social ties could double heart disease risk`.

It's not just the case of increasing our lifespan. It was found that the strength of friendship would let us face life threatening diseases like cancer. The `Journal of cancer` in US observed 61 women with advanced ovarian cancer. They found the disease to be aggressive in those, with the weakest social bonds.

The conclusions made by such scientific studies might be new, but not surprising! Many believe that the following factors can be associated with friendship, that keeps you healthy.

Sharing: There's a saying that your grief when shared would be reduced. That's what friends do for us! They share our grief and make it half. They share our joy and double it.

Encouraging: From the field of football to the battle ground... It's our friends who stay along with us and cheer us to deliver the best. They invoke confidence in us and lead us to a higher self- esteem.

Advising: From the configuration of desktop to the pill for a headache... friends would always give their best advice. They not only advice you when you ask one, but would warn you of any unhealthy habits.

Relaxing: Friends are the best stress busters in the world. Their company would relieve us from the tensions of the world and rejuvenate forever.

Caring: Friends would support in any Hercules task of yours. When you are in need of money or in case of a medical emergency... friends would be there to receive the call!

So who fears life, when there is a friend beside us!

-nirjara

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