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In adult life, the presence of friends ceases to be mandatory, family relationships come to the fore, often overshadowing all others. However, according to psychologists, positive friendships are important at any age. This is why friendship is good for each of us:
Friends help our brain work better
Researchers from the American Northwestern University studied people over 80 years old with the memory of a middle-aged person. As the researchers found, all participants with a good memory for their age had positive social relationships. Such conclusions look quite logical: in order to maintain long-term relationships and regularly communicate with people, constant intellectual efforts are necessary.
Friends make us feel better
Lack of friendship and social support increases the risk of developing an anxiety or depressive disorder, says Jenna Glover, Ph.D. and psychologist. One of the key components of treating depression is helping a person expand their social circle and increase the amount of time they spend with friends.
Also, having friends helps people deal with stress. When you feel like you're around someone who can support you, your body's levels of progesterone, a hormone that helps reduce anxiety, increase. Researchers believe that this feature played a significant role in establishing social contacts during evolution.
Together with the level of stress, the risk of harm to health decreases, in particular, cardiovascular diseases, depression and obesity.
Friends in this sense are often more useful than relatives. All because with age we can weed out people with whom we no longer have common interests or friendships have become toxic, while our loved ones stay with us for life, and we don't have to choose.
Girlfriends can help our career
Women who often share their problems and career goals with friends or have a supportive female community within the team are more likely to succeed at work. In many companies, there is still a bias against women that leads to unequal pay and hinders their advancement. Having strong friendships can expand your social connections and create conditions for learning and career growth.
Also, often, in addition to a career, women have an additional burden in the form of running a household and raising children. Having friends who can support them in all aspects of life and help with some of them makes their life a lot easier.
Friends can motivate us to develop
If your friends have healthy habits, positive interests, or an interesting hobby, it may inspire you to join them. Often it is thanks to friends that people first come to the gym, go on a trip, start volunteering or learn something new.
But do not forget that a negative example is no less contagious. When you are surrounded by people with bad habits, lack of clear goals or stable interests, and low culture, this does not motivate development at all - rather the opposite. This is a reason to be more conscious of your environment and remember that you yourself have the right to shape it.
Friends continue our life
There are many studies that find a connection between life expectancy and the presence of developed social ties. People with good support from others live longer than those who are lonely and isolated from society.
In addition, there are studies that show that women with breast cancer who have strong social and emotional connections have a better chance of survival.
Friends help us get to know ourselves better
According to Janice McCabe, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology at Dartmouth College, when people say and think about friends, they are expressing what they would like to be themselves. Evaluating their so-called loved ones, they often talk about their "I" or what they can become.
Therefore, it is important to be able to not only maintain friendships, but also to say goodbye to people who no longer reflect your values. People are often afraid to break up with friends because of nostalgia for the past, the fear of seeming rude, or the thought that they might be useful in the future. However, sometimes ending a relationship in time is beneficial for your success and self-development.
