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They’ll Be Here For You: Psychologist Says ‘Friends’ Is Good For Mental Health

They’ll Be Here For You: Psychologist Says ‘Friends’ Is Good For Mental Health

If you’re happy and you know it, thank Friends *clap clap*

Chandler, Monica, Joey, Rachel, Phoebe and Ross gave us 10 years of their lives and a lifetime of happiness since the first episode of Friends in 1994. Almost two and half decades later, they still continue to cheer us up when we are low or stressed. One can no longer say, ‘I am bored’ thanks to Friends. Having watched it for what feels like a thousand times and knowing very well what’s going to happen next, Friends still somehow manages to make us laugh and feel things with the same emotion as we felt when we saw it for the first time. And when they said, ‘I’ll be there for you’, they truly meant it.

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Source: Giphy

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A clinical psychologist Marc Hekster agrees with us! He has confirmed that Friends helps reduce anxiety and soothes your mind. “Having worked for over a period of 20 years with those experiencing anxiety, I can conclude that among other factors, it is the repetitive and relational nature of programs such as Friends and [The] Big Bang Theory that will be doing the trick,” he told the Metro.

Could it be any truer?

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Source: Gifer

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“[Watching Friends] is about an experience of repair, of watching the characters in the show repeatedly having worries, which then get repaired and soothed, usually in the context of other relationships in their lives. Complex problems are made the focus of each episode, and then they are resolved within the relationships which are the essence of the shows. It is pure escapism – excellent, bring it on,” he added.

Dealing with breakups, handling relationships, parental pressure, jobs – the show talks about everything that happens to us in real life. And that is the real charm of Friends. Empathy, mixed with a little bit of dependability.

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Source: Gifer

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Apparently, “it is soothing to see the same outcome every time and know you can depend on it. This is at the heart of human development. So, when grown-ups are anxious, they can have child-like feelings of fear and worry, and these can be soothed by repetition,” Hekster said.

BRB. Gotta kick Monday blues in the ass one episode at a time. Happy Friends-ing!

Also Read: 18 Things Even A Die Hard Fan Of ‘Friends’ May Have Missed

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22 Apr 2019

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