Friendships can profoundly affect the physical and mental health of both men and women. Studies show that people who have now friends or who are lonely, die earlier, get sick more often and weather transitions with greater physical wear and tear than those who have a support system of friends.

Sometimes, family members may be more prone to giving advise or telling you what you don't want to hear. It may not be as good as a friend who will listen and guide you, but supports your decisions anyway. The most important factor about friendships are those who offer support and do not judge your decisions based on society.

One reason for the link between social support and good health practices seems to be that people who feel cared for by others re less vulnerable to the effects of stress and are protected against the symptoms of Depression and loneliness.

Generally, women benefit most because of how the deal with stress. Women are more social in how the cope with stress than men, while men are more likely to have a "fight or flight" reaction. Women also tend to have larger, denser social network, in which more people know each other, while men typically have smaller groups of friends and will rely on their spouses or significant other for more support. While aggression and withdrawal take a psychological toll, friendship brings comfort that lessens the ill effects of stress and that difference contributes to the gender difference in longevity.

Friendships do make people feel better.

　　友谊可以深刻影响人们的身心健康。研究表明，没有朋友抑或寂寞的人比那些有一群朋友支持的人更早离世、生病或者随季节转换出现这样那样的身体问题。

　　有时候，家庭成员可能会更爱给一些你不想听的建议，这往往不及一个能够耐心倾听指导，并且无论如何都会支持你决定的朋友来得开心。谈到友谊，最重要的因素是它建立在社会基础之上，为你提供支持且不判断你的决定正确与否。

　　将社会支持与良好的卫生习惯联系起来的一个原因似乎是那些感觉被照顾的人不太愿意受到压力的影响，以免出现抑郁和孤独的症状。

　　一般来说，女性处理压力的方式使其受益最大。相对于男性面对压力的"对抗或逃避"反应, 女性更懂得如何应付。女性往往有较大且密集的社会网络，其中有更多的人了解对方，而男性通常具有较小的朋友圈，需要得到其配偶或其他重要人物更多的支持。友谊带来了舒适，减少了不良压力的影响，而且导致了不同性别的长寿差异。

　　友谊确实使人们感觉更好。
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