Friendships help you live longer

Social and emotional skills help you make friends

Apr 21, 2009
bubble 4 comments
Submitted by: Ginny Deerin
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According to several respected research studies, friendships help you live longer.  A New York Times article (April 20, 2009) entittled "What are friends for?  A Longer Life," points to the importance of "this powerful weapon that could help them fights illness and depression, speed recovery, slow aging and prolong life."  Read the article here.

WINGS teaches kids social and emotional skills; one of the five major skill sets is relationship skills.  Read all about that here.

Download free social skills activities here.  And learn more about WINGS here.

 

Friends 'til the End

On May 6th, 2009 cristy mccrery says:
I can't imagine how I'd get by without being able to laugh with a friend, to talk to a friend and to vent to a friend. You feel better after you get things off your chest. This past week, we separated the kids at WINGS and put them into different groups. They quickly realized how much they missed their old groups with their friends, and discovered how much they need those friendships every day. Social and emotional life lessons like that help kids realize the importance of a strong and healthy friendship.

It is great to hear that

On May 5th, 2009 Will Thompson says:
It is great to hear that strong social ties can lead to healthier and less stressful lives, but I am not too surprised. As the article mentions, friendship is an undervalued resource. I believe that friendships help maintain a sense of belonging as well as it helps to have someone you can relate to or that can understand you. Most people confide and trust others that they have created a special social bond with. We confide in these people because we feel comfortable communicating with them. In order to feel comfortable with these people, a supporting and trusting relationship must be established. At WINGS, our social skills activities include teaching the kids about creating friendships. The WINGS Creed states "I am a friend. I support and trust. Working together is a must. Kind and caring I will be. I listen to you, you listen to me." The kids and WINGSLeaders use this language constantly. Through teaching the kids how to be more supportive and trusting friends, they are realizing how important relationship skills really are.

I agree Liz. It is hard to

On May 4th, 2009 Bridget Laird says:

I agree Liz. It is hard to squeeze time in with your friends. Everybody is just so busy. One thing I have always loved about WINGS is kids that might not have a lot of friends in school tend to find friends afterschool. Our social skills activities revolve around relationship skills so it is no wonder the kids making lasting friendships within their nest. 

What great news that friendships help you live longer. Aw, finally something positive!

 

Bridget Laird

Best news I've heard in a while

On April 23rd, 2009 Liz Mester says:

Everyone is crunched for time and spread real thin these days.  So - getting in quality time with friends seems to be harder than ever.  But, knowing that my health and sanity depends on it, maybe I should make it more of a priority.  I mean I always feel better after a long walk with a friend, when we both get the chance to vent and lament.  Building friendships and fostering relationships is constantly a work in progress - for adults and for kids.  One of my favorite objectives that WINGS teaches is building healthy relationships.  Luckily, growing up, my mom gave me a great example of building healthy relationships by surrounding us with friends that became, and still are, extensions of our family.  For a lot of the kids that we serve at WINGS, that's not the case.  That's where WINGS comes in.  When kids learn in elementary school that healthy relationships/friendships are one of the most important ways to lead a happy, healthy life - they learn to make it a priority.  And, if research is right, knowing this will pay off for years and years to come.