We owe a lot to our best friends.

They’ve seen us through dilemmas large and small, turned tears into laughter and just generally made things more bearable. They’re always there to offer support when we need it the most, and can always be relied on to offer advice (and gin) in a heartbeat.

And now, it turns out we should thank our friends for more than just 1am phone calls and buckets of wine, with a new scientific study suggesting the benefits of having a best friend extend far beyond what we might expect.

In fact, having close friends can be so beneficial to our wellbeing that the presence of them in our lives can actually boost our health.

Science just revealed a surprising benefit to having a best friend