Friends do more than keep people company.
They carry memories and thus help people remember who they are and what they have done. Research has shown that as people experience illness and loss, it is easy for them to forget what they once achieved and how hard they worked to build their lives. By sharing memories, people can renew a sense of accomplishment and their inventory of well-being. Memories can also help cure the depression and loneliness that comes with illness. Remembering the past and, in the process, reconstructing old ties and friendships, allows people to use the past as a balm for the present.