The Power Of Friendship: Enhancing Mental And Physical Health

The power of friendship can significantly enrich our lives. Through our bonds with friends, we can find a sense of belonging and connection that can boost our self-confidence and support us during challenging times. Friendships are often considered key to childhood and adolescent development, and healthy friendships can promote mental health over the course of one's life. If you struggle to form or maintain healthy connections with others, consider working with a therapist to enhance your social skills.

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The power of friendship for physical health

Early humans likely considered friendships vital to survival, as other people could protect individuals against immediate danger and provide benefits like ensuring one's food supply, providing companionship, and offering support. 

The American Psychological Association (APA) notes that cultural values often prioritize romantic relationships, but friendships may be just as important to overall well-being and health. 

Research suggests that friendships can protect against illnesses and promote longevity by positively affecting the way we respond to stress, since stress tends to be associated with various health conditions. 

Many of the positive effects of friendships seem to be tied to qualities like trust, support, and intimacy. 

Physical health benefits that can illustrate the power of friendship

Some possible health benefits associated with supportive friendships include the following:

• Decreased blood pressure
• Reduced heart rate reactivity
• Increased longevity
• Better physiological functioning 
• Improved cardiovascular functioning
• Reduced hypertension
• Enhanced immune system function

The influence of friendship on mental health

Healthy friendships and meaningful connections can offer emotional support, boost self-confidence and one’s sense of belonging, and contribute to overall well-being. Friends can also provide support during difficult times, helping to alleviate stress and anxiety. 

Establishing and maintaining friendships tends to be key to childhood and adolescent development, and having healthy friendships is usually linked to better mental health over the course of one's life. 

Moreover, researchers note that friendships can protect against the negative effects of difficult experiences and prevent internalizing behaviors associated with depression and anxiety. 

Recent research also indicates that friendships can protect one's well-being and reduce the effects of stress experienced in marital conflict. 

Friendship benefits for mental health 

Some of the mental health benefits associated with healthy friendships include those listed below:

• Protection against mental health conditions like depression and anxiety
• Improved coping skills
• Emotional support
• Enhanced emotion regulation skills 
• Improved ability to manage stress
• Increased sense of belonging
• Higher self-confidence
• Reduced sense of loneliness
• Encouragement to live a healthy lifestyle
• Promotion of personal growth
• Access to other perspectives

Video games, shows, and other media featuring the power of friendship

Friendship may not only be a key element in our lives, but it can also be a common trope in storytelling. For example, many types of media feature friendships that save the hero and help them fight the villain or the “bad guy.” Often, these friendships are introduced in the first few episodes of TV shows and continue to play notable roles throughout the series.

A common trope in media is that having friends makes one strong. This may reflect the importance of friendship in promoting overall well-being. The support of one’s friends may help a person believe they are strong and capable.

Video games and shows that remind us of the power of friendship 

Below are several examples of games that feature the power of friendship as key to the success of the protagonist:

• Naruto, which some fans describe as an "epic battle of friendship"
• Sonic Adventure
• Kingdom Hearts
• Final Fantasy IV
• Two Friends and the Snake God

These games may illustrate the significance of friendship. In other types of media, such as professional wrestling, however, having many friends is usually tied to the villain—with more than two or three friends typically being referred to as stables—as the hero is expected to manage on their own. As a subversion of the trope, having many friends means that dirty play may be expected in professional wrestling.

Social media and friendship

Social media can enable us to keep up with old friends' lives, make new connections, share interests and experiences, and enable communication. Social media can also help individuals learn more about their friends. While previous studies suggested that the human brain could comfortably maintain approximately 150 relationships, newer research suggests that this number may be flexible, as "the brain can be trained in having more social contacts." 

The detrimental effects of social media 

While it can have many benefits, social media can also encourage less in-person interaction and promote a more superficial, curated version of our lives, which can lead to disconnection and induce feelings of envy when people compare themselves to others. 

For example, findings indicate an increase in loneliness and depression among adolescents—a demographic group that tends to make extensive use of social media. 

Moreover, research suggests that those who use social media extensively may inadvertently replace real-world connections with virtual ones, which can contribute to feelings of loneliness.

Health-promoting friendship qualities

Trust, support, and emotional intimacy in a friendship can promote health and well-being. Being able to rely on a friend's understanding and compassion may also alleviate stress. Moreover, open communication, laughter, and interaction through shared activities may also play a role in promoting a positive and healthy mental state.

Qualities in friendships that can promote overall health and well-being

Some of the ways that friendships can promote health and well-being include the following:

• Trust: Trust can foster a sense of security and comfort in ourselves and others.
• Support: Receiving support and encouragement from a friend can help us navigate life's challenges and relieve stress.
• Intimacy: Emotional intimacy in friendship can help us know we are understood and accepted as we share personal experiences. 

While friendships can enrich our lives, one does not necessarily need close friends to benefit from social connections. Studies indicate that interacting with acquaintances and even strangers can boost well-being and mental health. 

How to promote healthy friendships

There can be many ways to promote meaningful connections with others, which may include old friends, newer acquaintances you would like to know better, and strangers you come across in your daily routine. While spending quality time together can be important, fostering the qualities discussed below can be crucial for healthy connections.

Qualities of healthy connections

As one of the most significant bonds in life, healthy friendships tend to be associated with notable effects on mental health and well-being. Healthy connections often involve the following characteristics:

• Open and honest communication
• Listening without judgment
• Empathy
• Sharing experiences, joys, and disappointments
• Support and encouragement
• Respecting boundaries (your own and theirs)
• Trust and vulnerability
• Acceptance of each other's unique qualities, personalities, and challenges
• Encouragement of each other's personal growth and new perspectives
• Compromise
• Reciprocity of consideration, respect, and other qualities that nourish the bond
• Gratitude
• Healthy conflict resolution

Therapy to foster mental health 

Many people encounter challenges with making new friends and keeping old ones. If you believe that you might benefit from learning ways to foster healthy connections, speaking with a therapist might help. However, if going to in-person appointments presents a challenge, you might want to give online therapy a try. Through platforms like BetterHelp, you can attend sessions with a licensed therapist from any location with an internet connection.

A 2024 study compared the effectiveness of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) to automated messages for addressing loneliness. The study's findings indicated that those who received guided ICBT experienced greater benefits than the group who received automatic messages. The study also noted that human contact through ICBT guidance reduced participants' sense of loneliness, leading the researchers to suggest that "loneliness can be reduced with ICBT."