What Are Friends For?

I had a friend in college who had a favorite expression he used when caught taking advantage of my or anyone else's generosity. After a couple of years, Mike had taught all of us to use that expression in certain circumstances. The truth is we grew to accept each other's faults this way. If one of our friends let us down in some way or other, we'd feign complaint, and finish with "but what are friends for?" Friends do let each other down from time to time, but strong friendships weather those storms.

Like exercise, spending time with friends also is a great stress reliever—so said a friend of mine this morning. How does that work? I understand that exercise helps to reduce stress, stimulating the release of endorphins. Does interacting with friends work the same way? If so, does the stress relief vary directly with the number of friends involved or inversely? I'll bet inversely, meaning the larger the group you interact with, the less stress relief you enjoy. However, if you interact with one or two, you may enjoy more stress relief.

I'd like to know more about this one. I have had occasion to spend a few hours with a larger group of friends, and it was fun, but there was an element of the hectic. Too much going on around you can produce stress itself. I have also wanted to spend time with a closer friend or two. Those moments are more profound somehow. Does that profundity somehow reduce stress?

I don't know the answer to that one. I do know that there are no better times than those spent catching up with an individual friend with whom you share a special connection. Even if an extended period of time has elapsed between visits, you can quickly recover the connection when you catch up. How does this work? What are friends for, anyway?