IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD:

People with a larger circle of friends are better able to tolerate pain, according to research into the pain thresholds and social networks of volunteers.

The link is thought to be down a system in the brain that involves endorphins: potent pain-killing chemicals produced by the body that also trigger a sense of wellbeing.

"At an equivalent dose, endorphins have been shown to be stronger than morphine," said Katerina Johnson, a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, who co-authored the research. 

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