Why It's So Important to Have Good Friends

Taken from http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/good-friends-are-good-for-you?page=2
Hope it open the eyes of those who always leave & forget their friends behind. Which I doubt you guys even realize it, though.


Good Friends Are Good for You
They might get on your nerves at times, but good friends have bigger benefits than you may realize.
By Tom Valeo
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

"You got to have friends to make that day last long," sings Bette Midler. But good friends may help your life last longer, too, according to an Australian study. Conducted by the Centre for Ageing Studies at Flinders University, the study followed nearly 1,500 older people for 10 years. It found that those who had a large network of friends outlived those with the fewest friends by 22%.

Why is this so? The authors suspect that good friends discourage unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and heavy drinking. And the companionship provided by friends may ward off depression, boost self-esteem, and provide support. Also, as people age, they may become more selective in their choice of friends, so they spend more time with people they like.

Close relationships with children and relatives, in contrast, had almost no effect on longevity. Lynne C. Giles, one of the four researchers who conducted the study, emphasized that family ties are important; they just seem to have little effect on survival.

The Health Benefits of Good Friends

Lots of research has shown the health benefits of social support.

One such study, reported in the journal Cancer, followed 61 women with advanced ovarian cancer. Those with ample social support had much lower levels of a protein linked to more aggressive types of cancer. Lower levels of the protein, known as interleukin 6, or IL-6, also boosted the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Women with weak social support had levels of IL-6 that were 70% higher in general, and two-and-a-half times higher in the area around the tumor.

In 1989, David Spiegel, MD, a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, published a landmark paper in Lancet. Itshowed that women with breast cancer who participated in a support group lived twice as long as those who didn't. They also had much less pain.

Sheldon Cohen, PhD, a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, has shown that strong social support helps people cope with stress.

"Friends help you face adverse events," Cohen tells WebMD. "They provide material aid, emotional support, and information that helps you deal with the stressors. There may be broader effects as well. Friends encourage you to take better care of yourself. And people with wider social networks are higher in self-esteem, and they feel they have more control over their lives."

Other studies have shown that people with fewer friends tend to die sooner after having a heart attack than people with a strong social network. Having lots of friends may even reduce your chances of catching a cold. That's true even though you're probably exposed to more viruses if you spend a lot of time with others.

"People with social support have fewer cardiovascular problems and immune problems, and lower levels of cortisol -- a stress hormone," says Tasha R. Howe, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Humboldt State University. "Why? The evolutionary argument maintains that humans are social animals, and we have evolved to be in groups. We have always needed others for our survival. It's in our genes. Therefore, people with social connections feel more relaxed and at peace, which is related to better health."

Friends Can Be Stressful

Friends can be a source of stress, though. In fact, friends can cause more stress than others precisely because we care so much about them.

Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Brigham Young University, has found that dealing with people who arouse conflicted feelings in us can raise blood pressure more than dealing with people we don't like.

"My colleagues and I were interested in relationships that contain a mix of positivity and negativity," she says. "For example, you might love your mother very much, but still find her overbearing or critical at times."

By attaching people to portable blood pressure monitors, Holt-Lunstad and her colleagues found that blood pressure was highest when people were interacting with someone they felt ambivalent about.

What she found really surprising was that these interactions caused higher blood pressure than those with people the research subjects felt completely negative about. "We suspect that people we feel positive toward can hurt us that much more when they make a snide comment or don't come through for us because they are important to us. Friends may help us cope with stress, but they also may create stress."

So would we be better off having no friends at all?

Hardly. "One thing research shows is that as one's social network gets smaller, one's risk for mortality increases," Holt-Lunstad says. "And it's a strong correlation -- almost as strong as the correlation between smoking and mortality."

The Impact of Loneliness

What about loners? Are they at greater risk of dying because they prefer to be alone?

Only if they feel lonely. One study found that drug use among young people was higher among those who said they were lonely. Older lonely people tended to have higher blood pressure and poorer sleep quality. They also were more tense and anxious.

Another study found that college freshmen who had small social networks and claimed to be lonely had weaker immune responses to flu vaccinations. They also had higher levels of stress hormones in their blood.

Unfortunately, Americans have fewer friends than they used to, according to a recent study, "Social Isolation in America," published in the American Sociological Review. The authors found that from 1985 to 2004, the number of Americans who feel they have someone with whom they can discuss important matters dropped by nearly one-third. The number of people who said they had no one they could discuss such matters with tripled to nearly 25%. The authors suspect that long work hours and the popularity of the Internet may contribute to the decline in close relationships.

The study also found that the percentage of people who talk about important matters only to family members increased from 57% to 80%. Those who depend solely on their spouse for these talks increased from 5% to 9%.

How Women's Friendships Are Different From Men's

In general, women are better at maintaining friendships than men. Women "tend and befriend," says Shelley E. Taylor, PhD, a psychology professor at UCLA. They respond to stress by protecting and nurturing others ("tending"), and by seeking support from others ("befriending"). This pattern regulates the seeking, giving, and receipt of social support, Taylor says. It produces health benefits by reducing psychological and biological stress. (my note: oh, really? I found it different, by the way. They only care with their own gender.)

And Margaret Gibbs, PhD, a professor of psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University, found that men and women relate to others differently throughout life.

"We found that women seemed more geared to empathy, while male friendships are more geared to companionship and altruism," she tells WebMD. "Male friendships are more about helping each other -- mending the lawn mower, that sort of thing. Women's friendships tend to have a more emotional content -- listening to friends' stories and coming up with helpful solutions." Read more!

Giant Mecha Spider

Last time Giant Mecha Beetle was exposed in Japan. Knowing its existence of its prey, Giant Mecha Spider came across the ocean from England.

Meet La Princess, a 15m mechanical spider by French production company La Machine, and constructed in Liverpool, England. The giant mecha spider invaded Yokohama yesterday April 19 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Port of Yokohama.

It's not only one spider, but two spiders! More pics at flickr by cabcab.




Infos from dannychoo.com Read more!

Giant Mecha Beetle

Giant Mecha Beetle showed up in Japan! I don't understand Japanese, but I got this video from dannychoo.com. :P

The video below shows how a 60 year-old man built a giant mecha kabuto (beetle) over the course of 11 years.
It has a cockpit and can also be controlled using the 'ragio controrea'. (Another prove that Japanese are suck at English: Kabuto Radio Control => 'kabutom ragio controrea'  XD)
The beetle is 11 meters long, 9.5 meters wide and weights 15 tonnes.
The inner bay can fit six adults.
The final machine is named the RX-03 (you bet he's a Gundam fan) and was originally RX-02 and RX-01.
I'm really amazed of the Japanese technology advancement. Imagine, if just one man can create such thing, what a nation can do?
Suggestion: eat sushi a lot! XP
Read more!

Schmap Melbourne widget

Yeeheee! Remember of my last post about my photo is getting nominated for Schmap Melbourne guide? Well, now it has been confirmed and I'm officially in the guide, yay! ^^ Not much of a work, but well, quite happy and proud. Mwahahahahaha! By the way, the way they put my name on it... It makes me look like I am the Alpaca...

 

Okay, now I must back to work on my systematic review... T_T

Here's the widget of the guide...

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Gorgeous Mecha Artworks

For me, people who are able to have imagination of mechas and draw them in a canvas is very awesome. Drawing machines inside with such complexity in composition would need a great deal of skills in order to make them look good. Browsing early in the morning made me find these artworks created by several artist. Here are some works that are really-really appeal to my eyes. Click at the name to visit their website and to see more pictures they created. Click at the artworks to see more details.

Yap Kun Rong:

Clockwork Chicken:

Fusion Factory:

This gallery has an image which is a very long one so the blogger could not allow it to be uploaded that long enough. :D To view it click here. Another cool image from them:

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Man tries to pay bill with spider drawing (true story)

Friday, November 14, 2008

By ninemsn staff

Below is the complete email conversation that Adelaide man David Thorne claims he had with a utility company chasing payment of an overdue bill.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.19pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account
Dear David,
Our records indicate that your account is overdue by the amount of $233.95. If you have already made this payment please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.37pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account
Dear Jane,
I do not have any money so am sending you this drawing I did of a spider instead. I value the drawing at $233.95 so trust that this settles the matter.
Regards, David.


From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.07am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account
Dear David,
Thankyou for contacting us. Unfortunately we are unable to accept drawings as payment and your account remains in arrears of $233.95. Please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.32am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account
Dear Jane,
Can I have my drawing of a spider back then please.
Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.42am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Overdue account
Dear David,
You emailed the drawing to me. Do you want me to email it back to you?
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.56am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account
Dear Jane,
Yes please.
Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 12.14pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account
Attached


From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 09.22am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Whose spider is that?
Dear Jane, Are you sure this drawing of a spider is the one I sent you? This spider only has seven legs and I do not feel I would have made such an elementary mistake when I drew it.
Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.03am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Whose spider is that?
Dear David, Yes it is the same drawing. I copied and pasted it from the email you sent me on the 8th. David your account is still overdue by the amount of $233.95. Please make this payment as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.05am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Automated Out of Office Response
Thankyou for contacting me. I am currently away on leave, traveling through time and will be returning last week.
Regards, David.

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.08am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?
Hello, I am back and have read through your emails and accept that despite missing a leg, that drawing of a spider may indeed be the one I sent you. I realise with hindsight that it is possible you rejected the drawing of a spider due to this obvious limb ommission but did not point it out in an effort to avoid hurting my feelings. As such, I am sending you a revised drawing with the correct number of legs as full payment for any amount outstanding. I trust this will bring the matter to a conclusion.
Regards, David.


From: Jane Gilles
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 2.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?
Dear David, As I have stated, we do not accept drawings in lei of money for accounts outstanding. We accept cheque, bank cheque, money order or cash. Please make a payment this week to avoid incurring any additional fees.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 3.17pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?
I understand and will definately make a payment this week if I remember. As you have not accepted my second drawing as payment, please return the drawing to me as soon as possible. It was silly of me to assume I could provide you with something of completely no value whatsoever, waste your time and then attach such a large amount to it.
Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Tuesday 14 Oct 2008 11.18am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?
Attached

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Obama, Amen! (anak menteng)

Hmmmpphh. Minggu ini gw di'budek'in dgn banyaknya orang2 yg ngeributin krn Obama menang. Jujur gw gak peduli ma skali. Apa efeknya ke negara lain? Emangnya Obama menang trus Indo bakalan makmur? Agaknya gw pesimis untuk hal itu... Dari dulu gw emang ngga demen politik2an. Yg terjadi, terjadilah. Yg penting tetap selalu berjuang demi kemakmuran. Hihihi.

Karena blog2 yang biasa gw baca jg ikut2an heboh ama Obama, gw jg ga mo kalah! Gw jg mo heboh ama Obama dgn mempersembahkan berita...

IZZI PIZZA mengeluarkan product barunya yang dikasih nama: OBAMA PIZZA.
Kasian si Obama kalo tau di Indo dia dijadiin pizza...

Berikut deskripsinya:
Pizza lezat bercita rasa khas Indonesia terdiri dari bumbu ayam rendang (!!!), keju mozzarella (!!!), paprika merah, tumis bawang bombay dengan taburan potongan daun bawang diatasnya. (Gak kebayang rasanya...)


Berikut embel2nya:
Kami persembahkan untuk menyambut kemenangan seorang pemimpin yang pernah menjadi  “Anak Menteng”. Kami juga memilih cita rasa ayam rendang ini untuk lebih menekankan nilai historis dan keunikan dari seorang Presiden Amerika yang mempunyai seorang ayah tiri dari Indonesia & pernah menghabiskan 4 tahun masa kecilnya di Jakarta. Mungkin saja justru ini yang menyebabkan dia bisa terpilih menjadi Presiden Amerika ke 44 !!

Gak kelupaan:
Rp.1000 akan disumbangkan dari setiap penjualan Obama Pizza ke Priscilla Hall Memorial Foundation.

Dan yang paling nggak boleh lupa dari IZZI PIZZA:
Extension of Izzi`s Crazy Credit Crunch Discount. Atas permintaan dari pelanggan setia IZZI, sekarang masa promosi Crazy Discount 75% diperpanjang !! Jangan lewatkan kesempatan terakhir untuk menikmati Izzi Crazy Credit Crunch discount !!

Heran gw, saking nggak lakunya apa ya ampe di diskon melulu? Kenapa nggak turun harga aja sekalian cuy!
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Great New Game Trailers

Here I am, back again. Now I'm gonna present you new trailers of upcoming games. All of them made me goes 'awe' and really2 want to buy PS3! >_<

Prince of Persia

Great song! Anybody know what's the soundtrack!? Contact me please!

Mirrors Edge

I love the soundtrack on this trailer too! Anybody know what's the soundtrack!? Contact me!

Tomb Raider: Underworld

Short simple trailer, but it shows how much graphic detailed is the game...

Tom Clancy's Endwar

What this game impress me is when I looked at a game website and it said: "Buy this game and get free PS3 Wireless Headset! EndWar can be played almost entirely via voice command." Dear Wii, PS3 is sure gonna beat you one day...

Armored Core: For Answer
What other mecha game that can present a robot as cool as Armored Core? The answer: Armored Core... Even Gundam series never make a good game before.
Read more!

New International Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Teaser!

Enjoy~!
Read more!

Whistle Blower: Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns

The latest album from Snow Patrol is available here! Kalo suka warna lagu nya Snow Patrol, dijamin bakal suka album ini. Tapi ya gitu deh... Bisa ngebosenin jg karena gitu2 aja. Anyway, Enjoy!
Download Part 1
Download Part 2
My favourite tracks:
 01 - If There's A Rocket Tie Me To It
 02 - Crack The Shutters
 03 - Take Back The City                       
 06 - Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands                      
 10 - Disaster Button                             
 11 - The Lightning Strike -> new way to fill up the CD, imagine, it's a 16-minute track! Well, the song's not bad, unique (to me) instrumental. Actually it consist of three 'chapters': 'What if the Storm Ends?', 'The Sunlight Through The Glass', and 'Daybreak'. Read more!

Transformers: The Ride

Nope, it's not the title of the third installment of the Transformers movies. Universal Studios Hollywood and Singapore will be launching a theme park attraction based on Michael Bay’s Transformers. Planned for an early 2011 debut, the ride will use High Definition 3D footage, along with practical special effects and “stunning” robotics (i.e. expect animatronic giant robots) that according to a press release will “transform perceptions of theme park experiences”. The attraction will replace the former Backdraft special effects show and special effects stages in the lower lot.

According to the press release, track will also be installed, which hints that it will be a moving ride, and not a walk-through attraction. No word on if the storyline will tie into Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen or a possible third Transformers film. All we know is that the ride will “place humans in the middle of a war between the Autobots and Decepticons”. The Simpsons Ride cost the part a reported $40 million to build, and I would guess that a Transformers attraction would be even more costly.

Let's hope it will be available on Oz... Read more!

Bypassing Megaupload & Rapidshare

Tired waiting for downloading through megaupload or rapidshare? Now there is a solution! (not now sih, perhaps uda ada caranya dari dulu, cuma baru nemu aja...)

Liat caranya disini!
Kalo males liat, ini link buat download tools & tutorials nya:
USDOWNLOADER: Programs, Simple Tutorial, Proxy Tutorial
RAPGET106
Bypass Megaupload Limit webtools

ENJOY!! Read more!

Metal Gear Solid PS3

A Metal Gear Solid tribute crafted by a modder named Ramon. It is made of carbon fiber and protected by nine coats of DuPont Chroma clearcoat. Adding to its awesomeness is the 15 LEDs and Hideo Kojima's autograph.

 

I wished I have PS3... But now... I WISH I HAVE THAT PS3!!

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Anime Festival Asia 2008

The first south-east asia anime festival held in Singapore on 22-23 November 2008. Perhaps, the biggest anime festival ever with many guest stars and sponsors and... Gundams.... Sob sob... Wish I could be there... Visit the website HERE.

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One more month to go for Undercover

Yeay! Only one month to go for the release of latest instalment of Need For Speed! In case you haven't heard, the title is Need For Speed: Undercover. The set is continuing with the success of Need For Speed: Most Wanted. And it's my mooooooossst favourite NFS series. Hopefully it will be too. They don't use CG at all for the movies! It's all live action and not rendered into CG like in 'most wanted'! Enjoy the trailer and the movies.




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