A Sorrow Shared Is A Sorrow Halved, A Joy Shared Is A Double Joy

Friends are the family we choose. They are good for our physical and mental health!

Friends have the ability to relieve intense pain and suffering. They are like guardian angels for our physical and mental health and the best natural pain reliever!

It has been scientifically proven that isolation and a lack of psychological support are just as harmful to health as cigarettes, high cholesterol levels, obesity or lack of exercise.

So it’s not surprising that emotional ties and trust double the joy and  alleviate suffering .

Lengthy emotional ties are the roots of our tree of life

Disappointments often lead to a preference for loneliness, to distancing oneself from a friendship out of fear of pain, failure or renewed disappointment.

The happiness of trusting and being aware of being able to count on someone makes us psychologically strong and improves our well-being.

If we can cry on one shoulder, we reduce stress and depression (for example, if we are separated or lost). The existence of a loved one helps us  alleviate suffering. 

The quality of friendship, in particular, is fundamental when approaching the abyss of suffering, because tender words calm the heart.

James Pennebaker, psychologist and scientist, knows his way around this area well: He has proven in scientific studies that friends are good for health.

Friends – natural pain reliever for suffering

That friends act like painkillers has been shown in a curious study by the University of Oxford. 101 subjects were asked about the quality of their social relationships and their character.

Afterwards, they had to assume an uncomfortable posture over a long period of time in a test in order to cause cramps, discomfort and pain.

The scientists found that those who had more friends took the pain better.

Neuroscientific studies have now shown what Aristotle already knew, namely that humans are social beings.

Much points to the social programming of our brain, in which a complex system strengthens interpersonal relationships, the so-called endogenous opioids, specifically beta-endorphin.

Knowing that you are loved is the best feeling

An excerpt from Paul Auster’s novel “ Moon over Manhatten” perfectly reflects the importance of knowing that you are loved:

This wonderful feeling of having an emotional seat belt protecting us cannot be compared to anything else. Feeling that we are loved is not only encouraging, but it strengthens us and gives us life energy.

Therefore we can say that friends make our life beautiful and enrich our world.