Having besties makes us happy and helps us enjoy life, but the benefits are much bigger than that. Studies show that friendships can be as essential to our health, wellbeing and longevity as diet and exercise.
Research reveals that having three to five friends is ideal, because we don’t generally have enough time or emotional energy to manage more than five close friendships at any time. There are actually five types of friendships everyone needs for optimal happiness and wellbeing:
- Lifelong friends - Psychologist Lauren Napolitano says these friends are the ones who’ve known you and your family since childhood and have seen you grow up and develop as a person. “While you might not speak to these friends regularly,” she says, “there’s a depth of understanding that helps us to feel steady and secure in our friendship with them.”
- Close friends - These friendships can overlap with lifelong friends, as close friends are ones you’ve known for years and they’ve been with you through life’s ups and downs. Psychologist Dr. Anjali Ferguson says these are the most important for mental health because close friends let people be their true selves, there’s less judgment, and you can always call them when you need anything.
- Friends of convenience - These friendships are formed through shared interests and hobbies and you may see them more often than close friends because of that. Friendships of convenience may not last forever, but they are still important for happiness and wellbeing.
- Work friends - “I don’t think any of us realized the emotional support that we received from our work friends until we were banished into remote work environments,” Napolitano explains. These friends understand the struggles you deal with at work and can support you like nobody else, which we need in our work lives.
- Same chapter of life friends - Whether it’s college, being pregnant or getting divorced, these friends are experiencing the same things you are at the same time, so they can help you navigate those challenges.
Source: Today