Jeff Rizzo
English 10R Friendship Is Key
15 April 2013 Bette Midler once stated, “You got to have friends to make that day last long.” Friends fulfill your day up with laughter, joy, and adventure, which of course makes in longer but as well as making it better. Friendship is essential in leading a full, balanced, and healthy life. By surrounding yourself with a good group of friends, it gives you the chance to be a better person. Good friends are good for a lot of things such as, support, knowledge, and your health. It has been proven that those who had a large network of friends outlived those with the fewest friends by 22% (Valeo 1). This shows that friends have a huge impact on one’s health. Companionship may ward off depression, boost self-esteem, and provide support (Valeo 1). Depression is a severe despondency and dejection, accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy. Loneliness can also be a cause of depression, which is what companionship helps prevent. Studies show that people with more social connections feel more relaxed and at peace (Voleo 2). Friends are always there for you and they encourage you to take better care of yourself (Voleo 2). For example, good friends discourage unhealthy decisions such as smoking and drinking alcohol (Voleo 1). Good friends won’t let you make a decision that they don’t feel comfortable with, especially if it affects your health. In fact, people with fewer friends have a higher chance of dying sooner after a heart attack than people with more friends (Voleo 2). As crazy as this may sound, having a lot of friends can even reduce your chances of catching a cold. Therefore, friends have a major impact on one’s health and friends are a necessity if you want to a live a healthy life. Friendship is one of the most beautiful relations of all (Gupta 1). The older you get, the more selective you are in choosing your friends. Friends are there for you no matter what the situation is. No matter how serious the issue may be, friends always provide you with the best possible way out of it (Gupta 1). A good friendship stimulates good communication, loyalty, commitment and trust (Franklin 3). A good friendship is a friendship where you have each other’s backs at all times. Close friends make all the difference (Gupta 1). Henri J.M Nouwen once said, “The friend can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friends who care,” (Gaikward 2).