Why is friendship important

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Oishi, S. Income inequality and happiness. The cyrenaics on pleasure, happiness, and future-concern. Phronesis 47, — Perkins, J. All the way through high school and college, friendships can feel easy because you are thrown into an environment where you have lots of same-age peers and the pool of potential friends is big.

You are really hyper-interested in social activity. Then in adulthood, as people start to have jobs and maybe get married or have a family, it can become harder to spend time with your friends.

Toward the end of life, we tend to come back around to having a little bit more time once kids are grown and careers and jobs are less demanding. KN: You observe in your book that we tend to neglect our friendships when we get busy, more so than other relationships. Can you say more about that? But we also feel that spending time with friends, instead of working, is indulgent. If you are forever canceling on your friends or failing to make a point of seeing them or talking to them or interacting with them, then you are not being a good friend and you are not maintaining a strong relationship.

You need your friends to be there down the road. LD: Just like a strong relationship is good for you, a negative relationship is bad for you.

Even an ambivalent relationship is bad for you, it turns out, biologically. An ambivalent relationship is a relationship where you have positive feelings and negative feelings about the person or about your interactions with them.

Researchers had a scale of one to five: How positive does this relationship make you feel, and how negative does this relationship make you feel? We also have leading global experts who regularly present on such key areas such as:. Interested in joining us? A Higher Branch TV. Management Team. Seriousness Is Endemic: Most people have lost the ability to have fun. We also have leading global experts who regularly present on such key areas such as: How to make new friends Avoiding toxic friendships.

Sign up to stay up to date:. Facebook Message. Ask mutual friends or acquaintances to share the person's contact information, or — even better — to reintroduce the two of you with a text, email or in-person visit.

Extend an invitation to coffee or lunch. To meet new people who might become your friends, you have to go to places where others are gathered. Don't limit yourself to one strategy for meeting people. The broader your efforts, the greater your likelihood of success.

Persistence also matters. Take the initiative rather than waiting for invitations to come your way, and keep trying. You may need to suggest plans a few times before you can tell if your interest in a new friend is mutual. Above all, stay positive.

You may not become friends with everyone you meet, but maintaining a friendly attitude and demeanor can help you improve the relationships in your life and sow the seeds of friendship with new acquaintances. Joining a chat group or online community might help you make or maintain connections and relieve loneliness.

However, research suggests that use of social networking sites doesn't necessarily translate to a larger offline network or closer offline relationships with network members. In addition, remember to exercise caution when sharing personal information or arranging an activity with someone you've only met online. Developing and maintaining healthy friendships involves give-and-take. Sometimes you're the one giving support, and other times you're on the receiving end.

Letting friends know you care about them and appreciate them can help strengthen your bond. It's as important for you to be a good friend as it is to surround yourself with good friends.

Manage your nerves with mindfulness. You may find yourself imagining the worst of social situations, and feel tempted to stay home. Use mindfulness exercises to reshape your thinking. Each time you imagine the worst, pay attention to how often the embarrassing situations you're afraid of actually take place. You may notice that the scenarios you fear usually don't happen. When embarrassing situations do happen, remind yourself that your feelings will pass, and you can handle them until they do.

Yoga and other mind-body relaxation practices also may reduce anxiety and help you face situations that make you feel nervous. Remember, it's never too late to build new friendships or reconnect with old friends. Investing time in making friends and strengthening your friendships can pay off in better health and a brighter outlook for years to come.