The bonds between friends get much stronger with age, and eventually, they can even outweigh¹ the benefits of family relationships, according to a new study.

一项最新研究表明，朋友之间的联系会随着年龄的增长而增强，最终甚至会超过家庭关系所带来的好处。

Friendships play a key role in health and happiness – especially as we get older, revealed dual² studies involving thousands of participants around the world.

这项研究对全世界几千人进行了调查，发现在人们的健康和幸福上，友谊都起着关键的作用--尤其是当我们老了之后。

These relationships can 'make a world of difference,' researchers say, and even affect how we respond to illness.

研究人员表示，这些关系会“让世界变得不同”，甚至还会改变我们对疾病做出的反应。

The research from Michigan State University included two studies: one on relationships and self-rated health and happiness, and another on relationship support/strain and chronic³ illness.

密歇根州立大学的这项研究包含两部分：一项是关于人际关系和自测健康幸福的研究，另一项这是关于人际关系支持/压力和慢性疾病的研究。

In the first study, the researcher analyzed⁴ the responses of 271,053 in a survey encompassing⁵ all ages, and people from nearly 100 countries.

在第一项研究中，研究人员分析了来自100多个国家、覆盖各年龄段的271053人的反馈。

Overall, this revealed that both family and friend relationships are tied to higher self-rated levels of health and happiness.

总的来说，研究表明，家庭以及朋友关系都和更高的健康幸福自测水平相关。

But, as age increased, the researchers found that friendships were more influential⁶ than family when it comes to predicting these states.

但是研究人员发现，随着年龄的增长，友谊比家庭关系在预测自己未来状况时影响更大一些。

'Friendships become even more important as we age,' said William Chopik, assistant professor of psychology⁷.

心理学助理教授威廉·乔比克说道：“随着我们年龄变老，友谊变得更为重要。”

'Keeping a few really good friends around can make a world of difference for our health and well-being⁸. So it's smart to invest in the friendship that make you happiest.'

“有几个知心好友陪伴在旁，会让我们的健康与幸福截然不同。因此投资友谊让自己快乐是一个明智的选择。”

In the second study, the researcher analyzed data from a survey of 7,481 adults in the United States. And, this found that friendships played an important role in how older adults feel.

在第二项研究中，研究人员分析了美国7481名成年人的调查数据。而这项研究也发现，友谊在老年人的感受方面起着重要的作用。

For adults who had friends that often tended to be a source of strain, the researchers noted⁹ these people reported more chronic illnesses.

研究人员指出，对于那些朋友经常成为紧张源的成年人来说，他们患慢性疾病的可能性更大。