Friends Provide Protection
<p>Friends and fun go together, and it’s not just alliteration. We go bowling and hiking with our friends. We share books and podcasts and jokes. We explore new shops together. We join in meals and concerts and shows. Movies and television shows highlight the joys of friendship. Friends enrich our lives.</p>
<p>The benefits of friendship aren’t just social. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/emotional-wellbeing/social-connectedness/affect-health.htm#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%20social%20connectedness,%2C%20and%20improved%20well%2Dbeing.&text=Social%20connectedness%20is%20the%20degree,for%2C%20valued%2C%20and%20supported." rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Loneliness and isolation</a> have negative impacts on both our emotional and physical health. As Surgeon General Vivek Murthy <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/03/new-surgeon-general-advisory-raises-alarm-about-devastating-impact-epidemic-loneliness-isolation-united-states.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">recently pointed out</a>, isolation can damage our bodies as much as smoking cigarettes, being overweight, or drinking too much.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/wise-well/friends-provide-protection-61175142210f"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>