--- title: Friends Are Better Than Morphine description: People who have more friends may be better able to deal with physical pain, finds a new study on the power of friendships canonical: https://time.com/4310991/friends-pain-morphine/ author: Mandy Oaklander article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-28T16:56:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:42.872Z article:section: Health og:title: Why Friends Are Better Than Morphine og:description: A new study shows the power of friendships og:url: https://time.com/4310991/friends-pain-morphine/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Friends Are Better Than Morphine twitter:description: A new study shows the power of friendships twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Why Friends Are Better Than Morphine > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=89eb049f-bd33-4104-b6cf-d0bbac7b10f1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=89eb049f-bd33-4104-b6cf-d0bbac7b10f1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=89eb049f-bd33-4104-b6cf-d0bbac7b10f1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: A Full 'Friends' Reunion Was Too Good To Be True [Watch (HLS stream): A Full 'Friends' Reunion Was Too Good To Be True](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1A5YR4XX.m3u8) (1:13)  _Published 2016-01-15. Monica, Joey, Phoebe, Ross and Rachel will be reuniting for an NBC special to honor director James Burrows. If only Chandler could be there too._  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Apr 28, 2016 4:56 PM UTC  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Apr 28, 2016 4:56 PM UTC [Friends ](http://motto.time.com/4214801/adult-woman-friends/)have the unique power to make us feel better, but a good friend gives you more than just [a shoulder to cry on](http://time.com/4254414/crying-tears/?iid=sr-link1) or a party companion. New research shows that people who have more friends may be better able to deal with physical pain. In the [study](http://www.nature.com/articles/srep25267), published in _Scientific Reports_, researchers took 101 healthy adults and asked them how many close friends they had. An intimate friend was someone they spoke with at least once a week; other close friends included those they contacted about once a month. The researchers thought that people with more friends might have higher activity of endorphins: molecules released in the brain that regulate pain and makes us feel good. Prior studies have suggested that endorphins are also related to social bonding, so people with larger social networks might therefore also have a higher tolerance for pain. “Endorphins are our body’s natural painkillers, and they’re actually stronger than morphine,” says Katerina Johnson, the paper’s lead author and a doctoral student at the University of Oxford in the U.K. That’s exactly what they found when they made the people in the study do a wall sit test (which, as anyone who’s squatted against a wall with their knees at 90 degrees can tell you, is an excruciating measure of pain tolerance). People with more friends were able to sit there for longer, and that’s likely because their endorphin activity was stronger, the researchers think. They saw this effect even after controlling for a person’s fitness level. In an interesting twist, people who were more in shape actually tended to have smaller social networks—perhaps because exercising ate up the time they’d instead spend with their friends. People who were more stressed also had smaller social networks. “We often hear in the news about how to improve our physical and mental health, but I think we should really think of health more as a triad that also includes our social health,” says Johnson. “Our findings indicate that perhaps by enhancing our social health, and our feeling of connectedness to others, we might be better primed to deal with pain.” More research is needed before we know for sure whether friendships can shield us from pain. In the meantime, though, there’s no harm in trying to be a better friend. “A lot of our interactions seem to be overtaken by social media,” Johnson says. “But at the end of the day, we’ve evolved as social animals, and our real social interactions are probably really important for our health in ways that we’re only just beginning to understand.” ## Transcript Turns out that Friends reunion won't quite live up to our dreams. That's because Chandler Bing will be missing. Actor Matthew Perry, who played Chandler, will be working in London when the rest of the gang gets together to tape an NBC special. Monica, Joey, Phoebe, Ross and Rachel are expected to reunite for an upcoming NBC special to honor Comedy director James Burroughs. Burroughs, who has shot 1000 TV episodes, directed hit shows like Taxi, the Bob Newhart Show, and Cheers. Granted this special is really about Burroughs' career, but we're thinking there might be an alternative motivation for people to tune in [ MUSIC ] We haven't had a full Friends cast reunion, since the show ended in 2004, so getting the actors in the same room again, seemed like a dream come true. But, NBC Chairman, Robert Greenblatt, warned us when he told reporters, I'm not sure we can logistically pull it off. Perry's absence seems to confirm that. His spokeswoman said Mathew may tape something for the tribute. In other words, this is not the reunion people have been hoping for. You can say that again. Here's hoping Ugly Naked Guy makes an appearance instead. The special airs on February 21st on NBC. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4310991/friends-pain-morphine/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4310991/friends-pain-morphine/"},"headline":"Why Friends Are Better Than Morphine","datePublished":"2016-04-28T16:56:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:55:42.872Z","description":"A new study shows the power of friendships","url":"https://time.com/4310991/friends-pain-morphine/","keywords":["Research","Friendship","Friends","Pain","social network","Mental Health/Psychology","pain killers"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mandy Oaklander","jobTitle":"Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4310991/friends-pain-morphine/","name":"Why Friends Are Better Than Morphine"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"A Full 'Friends' Reunion Was Too Good To Be True","description":"Monica, Joey, Phoebe, Ross and Rachel will be reuniting for an NBC special to honor director James Burrows. If only Chandler could be there too.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1A5YR4XX/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-01-15T14:38:51.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1A5YR4XX.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4310991/friends-pain-morphine/","duration":"PT1M13S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4310991/friends-pain-morphine/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```