The bonds between friends get much stronger with age, and eventually, they can even outweigh 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 dual 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 chronic 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 analyzed the responses of 271,053 in a survey encompassing 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 influential 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 psychology.
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-being. 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 noted 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。