Why BFFs - Best Friends 'Forever' - are Good for Children

Anyone helped through hard times by a close friend knows how much that support meant to them, but do close childhood friendships play an important role in long-term emotional development? Dr William Bukowski, Professor in the Department of Psychology at Concordia University, Canada, has researched how experiences with close peers affect a child’s social competence and wellbeing. His research indicates that friendships have a protective impact on our children’s emotional wellbeing by affecting how a child’s brain deals with stress immediately after a negative event.