{"id":120968,"date":"2026-02-14T09:00:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T14:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/no-date-no-worries-why-friends-are-the-real-valentines-lifesaver-120968"},"modified":"2026-02-14T09:00:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T14:00:19","slug":"no-date-no-worries-why-friends-are-the-real-valentines-lifesaver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/no-date-no-worries-why-friends-are-the-real-valentines-lifesaver-120968","title":{"rendered":"No date? No worries. Why friends are the real Valentine’s lifesaver"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

My friend recently told me that her favorite Valentine\u2019s Day<\/a> was a few decades ago in second grade, when her playground crush called to say he loved her. “It\u2019s been all downhill from there,” she joked.<\/p>\n

Another friend said her most cherished memory was when her fifth-grade love interest bought her a bracelet. “And nothing positive since,” she told us, in jest, during the same conversation.<\/p>\n

While Valentine\u2019s Day can be a meaningful reminder to celebrate a cherished romantic relationship \u2014 even after elementary school \u2014 it can also be fraught with dread, obligation and the letdown of unrealistic expectations.<\/p>\n

FEELING LONELY? SIMPLE 5-3-1 RULE COULD HELP YOU MAKE MORE CONNECTIONS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

A male friend once told me he refuses to celebrate Valentine\u2019s Day because he resents being told by a calendar when to be thoughtful. Instead, he programs his phone to remind him to buy his wife flowers every 45 days. He admits the irony without hesitation but insists it\u2019s different \u2014 because his wife doesn\u2019t know about the alerts and is genuinely surprised every time.<\/p>\n

He might be onto something. If his wife is genuinely surprised \u2014 and actually enjoys flowers \u2014 research suggests the unexpected treat triggers a stronger dopamine response. Husbands and boyfriends, however, are often stuck navigating the delicate balance between the joy of surprise and the risk of disappointment when flowers or gifts are expected and fail to appear.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, people not in romantic relationships might dread the heart-and-candy day<\/a>, when grocery store aisles are overrun with pink-and-red chaos, because it\u2019s a not-so-subtle reminder of their singleness \u2014 and, for some, a pang of loneliness.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s hope: Celebrating Valentine\u2019s Day \u2014 or any festive occasion \u2014 with good friends can boost your well-being and even increase your longevity<\/a>. In an article last month, oncologist and former Obama White House Special Adviser for Health Policy <\/strong>Ezekiel Emanuel argued that the key to living longer is close friendships. Citing the Health and Retirement Study, he noted that people with the most close friends \u2014 an average of 7.8 \u2014 had a 17% lower risk of depression and a 24% lower risk of death than those with fewer close friends, who averaged just 1.6.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

When I was in high school, my father told me I\u2019d be lucky to have five real friends over the course of my lifetime. I thought he was completely out of his mind and assured him I had dozens. Now it turns out he wasn\u2019t pessimistic \u2014 he was practically doing longevity math. Five may be fewer than 7.8, but it\u2019s close enough to feel medically reassuring.<\/p>\n

One of my favorite memories is celebrating Valentine\u2019s Day with close college friends a few years before I married. We went to dinner, where we very publicly unwrapped unexpected \u2014 and absolutely humiliating \u2014 gifts from my friend, who would later become my maid of honor. Then we danced like fools<\/a> until the club kicked us out. By the time we returned home, my sides hurt from laughing so hard I thought I might cry. I\u2019d like to think we can bank that kind of happiness and draw on it during life\u2019s duller phases.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t imagine my husband, father or brother ditching their, ahem, better halves to grab dinner and go dancing with their buddies on Valentine\u2019s Day. Still, the freezing, midwinter Hallmark holiday offers a perfect excuse to pick up the phone and tell friends how much they matter.<\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s the real gift Valentine\u2019s Day has to offer \u2014 not roses on demand or perfectly timed romance, but a reminder to notice the people who show up again and again: the friends who make us laugh until our sides hurt, who know our embarrassing stories and who stick around long after the candy is gone. Romantic love can come with pressure and high expectations, but friendship \u2014 including the kind we share with our spouses \u2014 has a way of surprising us quietly, reliably and over a lifetime.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM STEPHANIE LUNDQUIST-ARORA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\/no-date-no-worries-why-friends-real-valentines-lifesaver <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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