FRIENDS WITH (HEALTH) BENEFITS

It can be tricky to find time for human connection (because, life). But friend time benefits your health in far more ways than one.

- ARRICCA ELIN SANSONE

When we were kids, keeping up a friendship seemed organic. We didn't have to think much about it or struggle to find time to hang out amid other competing prioritiesit just happened. Not true in our grown-up lives, when just scheduling a rare phone check-in with a best friend can require exchanging five-plus text messages (never mind how hard it is to arrange to grab coffee in person!).

though that struggle is real, giving your friendships the attention they need to thrive is worth it: You’ll reap major health benefits. “We often think of our relationships in relation to our emotional well-being,” says Julianne HoltLunstad, Ph.D., a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University and lead scientific editor on the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community. “But studies have shown that over time, people who have social connections are 50% less likely to die prematurely due to all causes, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.”