Maybe there’s a co-worker you always chat with at lunch, or another parent you keep running into at the playground.
Make the first moveĬonsider your recent interactions with others. If your current hobbies don’t involve much socialization, consider a new hobby that provides the opportunity to meet new people. While it’s not necessary for friends to like all the same things, some common ground can help provide a foundation for friendship.įinding new friends can often be as simple as spending time doing things you enjoy, whether that’s by joining a hiking club, taking an art class, or attending programs at your local library.
Now that you know more about the benefits of strong friendships, you might wonder how to go about finding (and keeping) good friends.ĭeveloping and maintaining friendships is often easier said than done, especially in adulthood when the demands of daily life keep you busy. It’s possible that friendship could prove particularly beneficial for managing distress associated with family problems, including neglect and abuse. Study authors noted that while family support also helped boost immediate resilience, friendship predicted greater resilience later in life, while family support did not. This study, which looked at resilience in more than 2,000 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 24, found evidence to suggest friendship strongly predicted resilience, or the ability to recover after distressing experiences. However, 2017 research suggests that if you have strong friendships, you’ll probably find it easier to handle whatever life throws at you. Sometimes, it can get downright awful.Īt any given time, without warning, you might face traumatic or difficult events that affect emotional well-being, such as:Īny of these challenges can have a significant impact on long-term mental health outcomes. And when you do feel lonely, you know you can address it by reaching out to talk, joke, or spend time with a friend.ĭistance and other factors might prevent you from physically hanging out, but simply knowing you share a strong connection can help you feel less alone.
On the other hand, even a few close friends can help you avoid loneliness. You might have gaming buddies, coffee friends, or exercise partners, but if you don’t have anyone to confide in, you’ll likely experience some loneliness. Casual or superficial friendships often don’t provide much in the way of emotional support. It’s the relationship quality that really counts. To understand the difference between these concerns, think of it this way: Friends help you avoid isolation, but good friends help prevent loneliness.Įver heard the phrase “lonely in a crowd”? You can have plenty of friends and still feel lonely, even though you aren’t isolated.
Loneliness and social isolation can affect mental and physical well-being, and more and more people are feeling lonely these days.