VOA Special English No2(Dic)

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VOA Special English No.2

Health & Lifestyle: Are Friends Better Than Family for Your Health?

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

1)“ .”¹¹⁾ That line comes

from American writer Harper Lee’s book “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Now compare her words to another famous expression: "Blood is thicker than water." This means that family will always be with you while other people -- with no blood connection -- may come and go.

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.²⁰⁾ People need people.

However, if forced to choose which is more important, American researchers now say friendship is more important than family. Their new study suggests that friends may be more important than family members, especially as we age.

The study comes from researchers at Michigan State University. 3) .¹⁵⁾

William Chopik is an assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State and was one of the lead researchers in this study. He says, “friendships become even more important as we age.”

He adds that “keeping a few really good friends around can make a world of difference for our health and well-being."

4) .¹⁶⁾

The study

The Michigan State researchers considered information from two separate surveys. The first

involved just over 271,000 subjects. 5) .⁹⁾

The second survey had nearly 7,500 participants. Its purpose was to study “relationship support” in older adults suffering from chronic, or long-term, conditions.

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6) .¹³⁾

However, in the second, researchers said that friendships “became a stronger predictor of health and happiness” as people get older. Also in the second group, unhealthy friendships led to increased chronic conditions. But with supportive friends, Chopik noted, participants reported being happier.

One reason: 7)

.¹⁸⁾ Family, on the other hand, will always be with you. They can be helpful and enjoyable, but can also cause troubles.

Chopik explained that “there are now a few studies starting to show just how important friendships can be for older adults.”

In general, he said, they show that friendships affect our day-to-day happiness and how long we live more so than relationships with spouses and family.

8) .⁸⁾ But keeping a friendship for a

long time takes work.

“If a friendship has survived the test of time,” he said, "you know it must be a good one, a person you turn to for help and advice” and a person you want in your life.

This may be good news for people who don't have strong ties with family members. 9) .¹¹⁾ 10)

.¹³⁾

And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.

Aired: July 24, 2017.