Thanks Be to Friends

I love when I learn scientific proof for something I always believed in my gut.  I just saw a segment on CBS Sunday Morning about the power of friendship.  Not just the schmaltzy importance of friendship, but evidence that friends help us carry life’s loads.

A Professor at UVA asked people to put on a heavy backpack and estimate the incline of a very steep hill.  Then he did the same thing except that the person had a friend stand by their side when they did it, nothing else just be there.  Overwhelmingly people who had a friend there estimated the difficulty of climbing the hill as dramatically easier than the people who were alone.  The mere presence of the friend somehow lessened the perceived burden.

Another professor gave people small shocks while they were getting an MRI and recorded the pain receptors in their brain.  Then he did the same experiment with a friend holding the hand of the person receiving the shocks.  The pain receptors hardly registered anything when a friend was present thus creating less wear on the body.

Dieting works the same way, at least for me.  By sharing the burden of needing to lose weight with my friends helps me actually stick to my plan and not feel deprived.  This blog is my daily connection to so many friends, old and new, known and unknown, that spreads out my burden so I don’t feel I am carrying it alone.

Worrying is something that causes our body’s physical stress and most of what we worry about is anticipatory.  Will something bad happen?  How bad will it be? Having a friend somehow helps dissipate a problem, according to these learned Professors.  I am going to go one step further and say sharing the problem with your friend can make you feel better, as long as you don’t overwhelm your friend with your problems.  Don’t expect your friend to solve your issues, but just having someone close to listen can reduce your pain receptors, whether you can see them on an MRI or not.

Of course the old saying holds true here, “To have a friend, you must be a friend.”  I want to thank all my wonderful friends who help me carry the load and encourage you all to spread your difficulties out into the world and not carry anything alone.