Dinner on Friday at 7 p.m.?

週五晚上 7 點吃晚飯？

Most of us consider our friendships to be important, but friends are not only fun to be around, having a steady group of friends can make us healthier and live longer.

我們大多數人都認為友誼很重要，但朋友不僅能給我們帶來樂趣，擁有一群穩定的朋友還能讓我們更健康、更長壽。

It's now well established that friendships are vital for our well-being.

友誼對我們的幸福至關重要，這一點現已得到公認。

In the 1930s, researchers recruited more than 700 men and followed them for decades.

20 世紀 30 年代，研究人員招募了 700 多名男性，對他們進行了數十年的跟蹤研究。

They found that it was satisfying relationships, rather than fame, money, class or IQ, that kept them healthy and happy throughout their lives.

他們發現，是令人滿意的人際關係，而不是名利、金錢、階級或智商，讓他們終生健康快樂。

Having a rich and varied social life is even a key predictor for how long we'll live, as well as how healthy we'll be.

豐富多彩的社交生活甚至是預測我們壽命長短和健康狀況的關鍵因素。

People with friends are at a lower risk of high blood pressure compared to those without.

與沒有朋友的人相比，有朋友的人患高血壓的風險更低。

Having a good friendship group also benefits our sleep and helps us heal faster.

擁有一個良好的友誼團體也有利於我們的睡眠，幫助我們更快地康復。

One reason why is that a strong social network can boost our immune system.

其中一個原因是，強大的社交網絡可以增強我們的免疫系統。

Studies have shown that people with diverse social connections are less susceptible to illness.

研究表明，社會關係多樣化的人不易生病。

One well-known study found that when individuals were infected with a cold virus, those with a better social life were four times less likely to become infected, or only got a mild cold.

一項著名的研究發現，當一個人感染了感冒病毒後，那些社交生活較好的人被感染的機率要低四倍，或者只得輕微感冒。

On the other hand, social isolation is damaging for us.

另一方面，社會隔離也會對我們造成傷害。

A lack of friends has a similar effect on our health as smoking has, and relationship conflict is linked with chronic illness and higher mortality.

缺乏朋友對我們健康的影響與吸菸相似，而人際關係衝突與慢性疾病和較高的死亡率有關。

That's because feeling isolated and lonely causes a physical response in our body.

這是因為孤立和孤獨感會引起我們身體的生理反應。

When we're lonely, our white blood cells change, become more inflamed and lead to a weakened immune response.

孤獨時，我們的白細胞會發生變化，變得更加發炎，導致免疫反應減弱。

Even small, superficial social interactions give us a boost.

即使是微小、膚淺的社交互動也會讓我們精神振奮。

Saying hello to a barista in a coffee shop has been shown to increase our mood, while a kind act towards a stranger can reduce loneliness.

事實證明，在咖啡館裡向咖啡師問好能增加我們的情緒，而對陌生人的善舉則能減少孤獨感。

What this research reveals is the intricate link between our mental and physical health, so cultivating and nurturing our friendships literally extends our life and makes us healthier and happier.

這項研究揭示了我們的心理和生理健康之間的複雜聯繫，是以，培養和發展我們的友誼可以延長我們的生命，讓我們更健康、更快樂。

Oh hi Nina!

哦，你好，妮娜！

It's been way too long, let's get a coffee in!

好久沒喝咖啡了，來一杯吧！

you

你