Give credit to “My Little Pony” for getting this right: friendship is magic. Ancient wisdom and modern research prove that having close friends is a key ingredient to both happiness and longevity.

In Dan Buettner’s research with National Geographic to find the world’s longest-lived people, they discovered five places and dubbed them “Blue Zones.” They then brought in a team to search for evidence-based common demoninators among these hotspots.

One of the nine common longevity characteristics is having a “right tribe” or social circle that supports healthy behaviors. This has been most prevelant in Okinawa, Japan, a Blue Zone where there’s a tradition of “moais” — a social group of five friends who act as a safety net and support each other from childhood to death.

Developmental Psychologist Susan Pinker, Professor Lisa Berkman of Harvard University, and Researcher Julianne Holt-Lundstad at Brigham Young University, have all found evidence that social connections have long-term impacts on happiness, health, and longevity. In fact, people with stronger social relationships may have a 50% increased likelihood of survival than those with weaker social relationships.

But I think Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh said it best in “Peace Is Every Step:”

Even if we have a lot of money in the bank, we can die very easily from our suffering. So, investing in a friend, making a friend into a real friend, building a community of friends, is a much better source of security. We will have someone to lean on, to come to, during our difficult moments.

So, like Twilight Sparkle learned, cherish and cultivate your good friendships. They will most certainly add years to your life and life to your years.