The brunt of the school year is finally hitting and work is piling up, especially this close to finals. In our rush to finish all the assignments lying on our desks, time spent with our friends is drastically cut down. It seems like there is just simply not enough time in the day to hang out with friends along with staying on top of school work. Although socializing with others might be on the lower end of our to-lists, it still an integral part of the high school experience.

In fact, if you are worried about getting your work done, take a break and socialize. Taking a break and socializing with friends can affect the quality of your work. Often when you work for long periods of time, your brain can become muddled and distracted, thus causing you to work slower. In fact, sophomore Jimmy Chen said, “socializing during study group sessions really helps boost [my] grades.” Breaking the stream of work can refresh the mind and renew concentration so you will be more productive when you get back work.

Not only will socializing help you get your work done, it also brings many health benefits. Socializing can actually prolong lifespans. Spending time with other people is a way of de-stressing which eases the mind and body. Relieving stress is an important part of maintaining health, but socializing can encourage us to take better care of ourselves as well.

Most importantly, socializing promotes a sense of belonging. Intuitively, we tend to associate strength with numbers and socializing can help us build relationships that we can rely on in times of need. Going through a stressful situation is often a lot harder when we can only rely on ourselves. Junior John Lee recalled, “Last semester, my grades started to slip, but being able to rely on my friends helped me bring them back up.” Having someone close by that we can rely on makes the process smoother and easier to go through. Building strong relationships with friends translates into helping each other and overcoming difficulties together.

While school work and grades are an important part of school, socializing is also a major factor in being a successful student. Maintaining health and building relationships are just some of the benefits that come with socializing. Stress is a common problem with finals coming up in less than a month and socializing just makes the bumpy ride a little smoother. Whether it is setting some time aside to spend with friends or simply holding conversations with your peers, it is important to remember that sometimes, work isn’t everything and socializing is an important factor too.