Friendship Is Important: 8 Science-Backed Reasons Why It Is Essential For Personal And Social Life

While society pays too much attention to romantic relationships and believes that finding the right one can only make one complete, happy and change their life for the better, some may beg to differ! Believe it or not, friendships are equally important and extremely essential when it comes to improving one's emotional and physical health, social life and overall well-being, atleast that is what science says.

What has come to be known as Dunbar's number contends that humans are only cognitively able to maintain about That includes an inner circle of about five close friends, followed by larger concentric circles of more casual typ150 connections at once (subsequent research has put the number higher). es of friends, says a NY Times report.

Friends are the treasure trove of our lives and the family, that we get to choose. We share intense connections with them because they share similar interests and values. We all have someone that we keep close to our hearts because we feel emotionally safe with them and they have our back even when the whole world walks out on us.

Adults have lesser opportunities to make friends than children because with age we become emotionally complex and we do things priority-wise. Also, like kids, adults do not have a structured setup to build friendships. You may have your own set of friends or you are planning to have a new one and it will come with its own set of pros and cons. However, there is no denying that they are the ones, who become our secret keepers, travel buddies, and go-to movie partners. They even share words of wisdom, whenever we need them.

While it is never too late to have friends, but, close friendships do not happen in a jiffy and they can develop under strange circumstances as well. We have science backed reasons why friendships are important and how they are essential for one's personal and social life.

Science-Backed Reasons Why Friendships Are Essential For Personal And Social Life

1. Friendships Can Create A Sense Of Belonging

Having a friend or a group of friends can help you to feel comfortable whenever you are surrounded by unpleasant circumstances. It can be dealing with hearbreaks, death of a family member. Having a sense of belonging to someone or somewhere can make you feel emotionally comfortable and deal with loneliness better. Also, it can help you to get rid of painful events to an extent, mentions research.

2. Friendships Are Important As Diet And Fitness

Research has pointed out that friendships improve the quality of life on every level. When you have quality people around you, then they can inspire you to take care of yourself. It has been linked to reduced risk of diabetes, lower blood pressure and more.

3. Friendships Can Improve Your Social Life

We all know how social ties can help us to get rid of negative thoughts, stress and self-harm. According to research, socializing can help one to improve their immune system and loneliness can lead to a weaker immune system. So we can safely assume that being with a strong social circle can keep sickness at bay or atleast reduce the risks in a few cases.

4. Friendships Can Be A Secret To Living Longer

Even though in urban societies, people are becoming socially distant, research suggests that humans have been wired to be social. Having social ties can work as a survival mechanism and help one deal with loneliness and grief better. Also it adds purpose to life, feel loved and supported.

5. Friendships Can Keep Risks Of Becoming Ill At Bay

Quality friendships can add humour to life, which can invite happiness. A study has concluded that people who had friends, are less likely to suffer from cold, irrespective of their lifestyle choices, stress or immunity. A quality social circle will contribute to your overall wellbeing. Even if they are exposed to virus, chances are lower that they will fall sick.

6. Friendships Can Improve Your Mental Health

When you choose quality friends, and stay constantly surrounded by people who motivate you and accept you for who you are then it strengthens not only your self esteem but also relieves you from stress, says a study. Social support can also help one to fight depression and can fight through hard times in a much more efficient manner. Research suggests that social isolation can have a negative impact on one's mental health and therefore, for overall well-being, engaging with quality people is a must.

7. Friendships Can Make You Feel Safe

Good friends can help you to deal with personal loss and also grieve the loss of family members. They also help us to leave unhealthy habits behind and try something positive and new. According to a study, they also add to the overall personality development of a person and we can talk to them without the fear of getting judged. They can be your therapy and give moral guidance when required.

8. Friendships Can You Successful Financially

Money can buy comfort but not true friends. Having quality people around you can actually boost your career and make you successful financially. This is so because social or communication skills are key factors when it comes to success, especially for those who are entrepreneurs. ' So, we all can agree that 'Network is your net worth' and with friends around you, nothing is impossible to achieve.