FRIENDS.... secrets to a long life

Cleo will never forget the phone call he received from Phil one August morning.Cleo's two daughters were killed in an automobile accident.Though neighbours , friends and others reached out to him he drew the greatest comfort from Phil who lost his two girls to a sniper. In the many months since the two have shared each other's losses,hardships and joys and that saved the sanity for Cleo.Scores of studies bear out that deep close friendships boost people's chances of fighting back , overcoming life-threatening situations , build stronger more resilient immune systems , nurture mental health and give people longer life expectancies than those who go it alone.People with friends - deep and shared - are less likely to suffer from depression , anxiety and other types of mental illness. Researchers have discovered that those with a network of friends , the kind of friends you can't live without are less likely to have massive attacks of stress , changes in heart rate or blood pressure when crisis looms or trouble strikes . Of course some friendships will leave you depleted rather than renewed. But quality instead of quantity is an individual choice.