2025 年发表的一项研究说，强大而持久的友谊和社会联系能减缓人衰老的速度。科学家早已了解到，拥有一个能为个人提供支持的人际关系网能给健康带来许多益处。不过现在看来，友谊甚至能帮助我们维持长期健康。本文浅谈友谊如何帮助我们保持年轻。

词汇：relationships 人际关系

1  If you've ever felt the benefit of a loved one's warm embrace when you're feeling stressed or sad, it might not surprise you that strong relationships can do wonders for your wellbeing. Research over the years has shown that people with strong social ties tend to be healthier, but a 2025 study, published in Brain, Behaviour and Immunity now suggests that it could also slow down the ageing process.

2  Researchers in the United States came up with a measure called 'cumulative social advantage', which takes into account the benefits of maintaining strong, supportive relationships over time, rather than just newer relationships. They looked at things like support from parents growing up, participation in the community, and ongoing support from friends and family. People who had these things were more likely to have a younger biological age and less inflammation in the body. Co-author of the study, Anthony Ong, says "Think of social connections like a retirement account. The earlier you start investing and the more consistently you contribute, the greater your returns".

3  So, how are friendships so powerful? Humans have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years as social beings – we're wired for connection. For our ancestors, being part of a group wasn't just about having company, it kept us safe and made it easier to find and share food and raise offspring. And it now appears that these connections affect our bodies on a biological, cellular level.

4  "While it is always good to make new friends, there is often a greater sense of trust and dependability with people you've known for a longer time," says Hillary Ammon, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Anxiety and Women's Emotional Wellness. Of course, maintaining relationships as we get older can be difficult as people closest to us move away, or prioritise other things. Hillary says not to worry if your friends are newer, as connection is what really matters. A strong network of friends not only adds years to your life, it adds life to your years.

测验与练习

一、为本文选择总结句。

What is this article about?

二、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。

1.Which is the best definition for the phrase 'cumulative social advantage'?
a. networking with people in the workplace
b. the strength of your social connections over a lifetime
c. how well you get on with people

2. Which of these is NOT mentioned as part of 'cumulative social advantage'?
a. support from parents growing up
b. support from teachers at school
c. ongoing support from friends and family

3. Humans evolved as social beings to avoid feeling lonely.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

4. According to Hillary Ammon, what advantage do older friends have over newer friends?
a. Older friends are easier to trust and depend on.
b. Older friends move away and prioritise other things.
c. Older friends know you better.

5. What does the author mean when they say a strong network of friends 'adds life to your years'?
a. Friends make the years last longer.
b. Friends make us live longer.
c. Friends make life more fun and exciting.

三、用方框中的单词完成对本文的总结。

Maintaining relationships over a lifetime can keep our 1) _______ young and decrease risk of body 2) _______, according to a new study. So, it turns out that having a supportive 3) _______ of people around you can 4) _______ for your health and wellbeing. Next time you see your loved ones, make sure to give them a warm 5) _______.

dependability
embrace
inflammation
network
ongoing
do wonders
biological age

（答案见词汇表后）

词汇表

embrace 拥抱
do wonders 产生奇妙的作用，对…有很大帮助
social tie 社会联系
cumulative 累积的
take (something) into account 考虑到，顾及
ongoing 持续存在的
biological age 生理年龄
inflammation 炎症
return 回报，收益
wired 具有…天性的
offspring 后代
cellular 细胞的
dependability 可依靠性
network 网络

答案

一、为本文选择总结句。

This article is about how maintaining strong social relationships over a lifetime can slow down the ageing process.

二、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。

1. b. …a measure called 'cumulative social advantage', which takes into account the benefits of maintaining strong, supportive relationships over time, rather than just newer relationships.

2. b. They looked at things like support from parents growing up, participation in the community, and ongoing support from friends and family.

3. b. False. For our ancestors, being part of a group wasn't just about having company, it kept us safe and made it easier to find and share food, and raise offspring.

4. a. … there is often a greater sense of trust and dependability with people you've known for a longer time.

5. c. This meaning is inferred because if you 'add life to something', it means to make it more interesting and enjoyable.

三、用方框中的单词完成对本文的总结。

Maintaining relationships over a lifetime can keep our biological age young and decrease risk of body inflammation, according to a new study. So, it turns out that having a supportive network of people around you can do wonders for your health and wellbeing. Next time you see your loved ones, make sure to give them a warm embrace.