KQED News Mind/Shift – Gail Cornwall
“High school students face many of the same friendship dynamics as elementary and middle school students, yet friendship operates in distinct ways in these later adolescence years. The buffering effect friends provided in earlier childhood, for example, seems to disappear. “Not only did the presence of friends not reduce stress,” writes Lydia Denworth in the 2020 book Friendship: “It made things worse. Cortisol levels went up.” By the time students reach high school, friendships become more stable compared to middle school, but that doesn’t mean everything stays the same.” (more)