Aisling Psychology & Counselling Dr. Willa Litvack Registered Psychologist © 2011 AISLING BY: NETMATRIX LIKE THE SONG SAYS “YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE FRIENDS......” We have long known that social involvement contributes to our mental and physical well-being (Among other things, frequent social contact is associated with cardiovascular and gastrointestinal health.)  but recent research conducted in Australia reveals that friendships play a particularly important role. Results of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Aging, which followed almost 1,500 hundred older participants for ten years, revealed that friendships contribute significantly to longevity and that their impact is even greater than the impact of contact with family. Furthermore, the benefits of friendship persist even if one friends moves and despite geographical distance. Why is this? Perhaps it’s because connecting with friends is something we do because we want to and because it gives us pleasure, not because we have to. Other factors may include the type of support that peers offer, and the positive effect that our friends have on how we see ourselves. Whatever the reasons,the things we do to nurture our  friendships, staying in touch, finding time for each other, help us live both better and longer. For parents,  encouraging children to form and maintain friendships, and helping them acquire the skills to do is, like getting them to eat vegetables or floss their teeth,  part of promoting a healthy lifestyle.