Who loves ya baby ...

... Hopefully you can answer that question by saying, plenty of friends.

An Australian study finds your friends can help keep you alive and healthy - that their power to help beats out family relationships.

The researchers, who turned in their findings to the Center for Aging Studies at Flinders University, suspect good friends discourage unhealthy behaviors like drinking too much and smoking. They also believe friendship may ward off depression, boost self esteem and provide support. Moreover, the older we get, the more selective we are about our friends and spend more time with our buddies.

Now, there's plenty of other research showing a good social network helps keep us healthy - but there's also a flip side to it . .. friends can cause stress .. even so, the companionship benefits win out. If you want to read more about this check out www.webmd.com

Have a great weekend and celebrate with your pals.