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"4 Reasons Why Close Friends Are Good for Your Health\\nA study in the *American Journal of Health and Behavior* reports that socializing with friends can have as positive an impact on health as [quitting smoking](/health/2007/09/why-you-should-quit-smoking), [working out](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/self-workouts/id376720181?mt=8) or [eating right](/mylogs). And in a 10-year Australian study, researchers found that subjects who had a solid group of friends were 22 percent less likely to die than those who had few close pals to depend on.  \\n  \\nHowever, if your friends are more like frenemies, they may be leading you to gain weight. Based on studying monkeys, researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have found that [social stress can lead to belly fat](/fooddiet/blogs/healthybites/2009/08/are-your-friends-making-you-fa.html). If your friends don't truly have your back and aren't making your life easier, happier and more fulfilling for you, they're actually contributing to your tummy pooch! So dump the toxic friends and you'll dump pounds as well.\\nWomen who work out with a BFF are 45 percent more likely to [exercise](http://workouts.self.com/) than those who sweat solo, and spend 40 percent more time exercising!  \\n  \\nIf you have great friends and are looking to slim down together, try this great [buddy workout](/fitness/workouts/2007/09/strength-cardio-friends-slideshow#slide=1). Our super simple plan is a fast, easy way of getting fit. Also check out [this video](/fitness/workouts/2009/10/partner-workout-video) of the ultimate moves to do together ? while gossiping about last night's episode of *\\\"The Bachelorette*.\\\"\\n\\\"Smaller networks actually predict positively for [mental health](/health/2010/05/mental-health-guide),\\\" says Laura L. Carstensen, Ph.D., director of the Stanford Center on Longevity in California. \\\"Pruning superficial friendships is part of the process of figuring out who you are and who you want to be around. I compare it to putting all of your friends in a centrifuge. It whirls around, and the most casual friend get splattered against the wall. The ones who are left standing are likely to [be there for life](/health/2009/10/how-many-friends-do-you-need).\\\"  \\n  \\nBut how many pals does it take to feel happy and loved? Fewer than you might think. In [Carstensen's studies of older people](/health/2009/10/how-many-friends-do-you-need) (who typically have pared down their friends to only the most essential), it seems that it's best not to dip below three lifers\u2014in other words, three people who are central to your well-being and who will drop anything for you in a crisis. \\\"Once you go below three,\\\" Carstensen warns, \\\"you'll be more vulnerable to loneliness, anxiety and depression.\\\"\\nIn a study of 3,000 women with [breast cancer](/health/2009/10/young-cancer-survivors-video), those without close friends were four times more likely to die than those with 10 or more friends.  \\n  \\nBack in 1988, a landmark study at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor found that people who lead isolated lives have an increased risk for mortality that's on par with [cigarette smokers](/health/2007/09/why-you-should-quit-smoking)'. Scores of more recent studies have also shown that lonely folks are more likely to develop dementia, get high blood pressure, sleep poorly and have weakened immunity.   \\n  \\nHealthy tip: Ask your healthiest friend if she'll keep a food (and activity) diary for a day that you can use as a healthy-lifestyle blueprint. Return the favor by treating her to lunch.\\n\\nFind more information in our [ Women's Cancer Handbook](/health/2009/10/womens-cancer-handbook)."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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