Watching Friends is a reliable way to relax your brain when anxious (Picture: NBC Universal)

It’s official – Friends is there for you in ways you didn’t even know they were, as a psychologist has revealed that it could have soothing qualities for those suffering with anxiety.

The TV show has been off-air for 15 years, yet somehow, Friends remains a near constant audience watching their numerous repeats, and has become the perfect background noise for our pre-drinking on a night out.

Even our hangovers the next morning just wouldn’t be right without one quick trip to Central Perk or Monica’s apartment. So why can we just not quit our six favourite coffee addicts?



Marc Hekster, Clinical Psychologist at The Summit Clinic in Highgate, has revealed the show actually calms your brain, and told Metro.co.uk: ‘Having worked for over a period of 20 years with those experiencing anxiety, I can conclude that among other factors, it is the repetitive and relational nature of programs such as Friends and Big Bang Theory that will be doing the trick.’


‘Anxiety is in fact the human minds’ alarm system, indicating that something is wrong, and usually the result of pent up and unprocessed feelings,’ Hekster said.

‘The feelings build-up, is not dissimilar to a pressure-cooker and will always need to find a way out. If they can’t find a way of being expressed, the alarm system triggers, and it is usually not very pleasant for the person suffering with the anxiety. Few people who suffer from anxiety will have much good to say about it, and will want to escape it.’

They’ll be there for you to calm you down (Picture: NBCU)

So the perfect escape? Whacking on a 20-minute show about six besties living in New York. (Friends. We’re talking about watching Friends.)

‘[Watching Friends] is about an experience of repair, of watching the characters in the show repeatedly having worries, which then get repaired and soothed, usually in the context of other relationships in their lives,’ Hekster reveals.

‘Complex problems are made the focus of each episode, and then they are resolved within the relationships which are the essence of the shows. It is pure escapism, excellent, bring it on,’ Hekster continued.

Friends support system is vital for the character’s to grow, but also to calm the viewer (Picture: NBC)

So while we sit and wonder if we’re going to get that promotion at work, how we’re going to pay bills and whether or not that guy we like is going to text us back, Rachel and Ross’s ‘will they won’t they’ relationship provides a distraction and a minor reassurance that things can be solved relatively easily.

As it turns out, watching it so much you can mouth the lines to each other comes back to a very basic instinct you had as a kid – so acting like Rachel when she watches Days Of Our Lives is common and understandable.

Hekster explained: ‘This is about the healing nature of repetition. We see this in children, resolving child-like feelings and emotions by doing the same thing over and again – often to the incredulity of their parents.’

The gang’s easy-fix problems every week become easy to depend on. (Picture: NBC)

‘Yes, it is soothing to see the same outcome every time and know you can depend on it. This is at the heart of human development,’ the pro continued. ‘So, when grown-ups are anxious, they can have child-like feelings of fear and worry, and these can be soothed by repetition. Bring on Friends repeats for the 10th time.’



However, while it could act as a quick boost for the brain, it can also trick you into believing that complicated things can be solved with relative ease, and is therefore unrealistic to rely on as a guide to life.

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‘On the negative side…none of it is very real, and how can life ever be so… kind of perfect,’ Hekster added. ‘It can’t.’

‘Whilst a quick fix for milder forms of anxiety, those suffering with more severe anxiety may find less solace in such programs,’ he warned. ‘But that is another matter.’

Friends is available on Netflix now and airs on Comedy Central.

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