The theme of this month’s Mindfulness Monthly Memo is “Friendly February,” emphasising the importance of friendship and having friendly interactions with others. 

There are many benefits to friendship, including overall well-being and satisfaction with life. Furthermore, research shows that having social connections is a strong predictor of living a long and healthy life. Not only does forming close relationships with others provide psychological benefits, but it also provides physiological benefits. Those who have friends or close companions are less likely to suffer from chronic health problems, including heart problems and even mortality. Luckily, meaningful friendships can be formed and maintained at any age in life, and even brief social interactions can be of positive influence.

Many people believe that romantic relationships have a larger influence on our levels of happiness and well-being than friendship relationships. However, research has shown that, actually, relationships with friends can strengthen, or even stand in for, romantic relationships. While romantic relationships are a meaningful part of life, most of our close relationships are with friends. 

Here are some takeaways on how friendships can affect the body and brain:

• Friendships can change the way we respond to stress: Talking to a supportive friend rather than someone whom one feels ambivalent about can result in lower blood pressure reactivity. Furthermore, completing a hard task with someone by your side can result in less heart rate activity compared to working alone. 

• Social isolation can negatively affect one’s physical and mental health: Loneliness, lacking quality friendships, romantic partnerships, and other social connections, can increase risk for heart attacks, strokes, or premature death. Research has found that social disconnection has risen after smartphones and social media became more widespread. This has also increased rates of anxiety and depression in individuals. 

• Interactions with acquaintances and strangers can boost mental health: “Weak” social ties may include a brief interaction with a stranger, a colleague you see once a week, or occasionally bumping into a neighbor. People who have more “weak-tie” interactions feel happier than those who have fewer weak-tie interactions. The science behind this finds that people typically avoid these interactions because they may be awkward. However, once pursued, these novel interactions actually tend to be more enjoyable, provide an opportunity for connection, and are less awkward than expected. 

Appendix

Abrams, Z. (2023, June 1). The science of why friendships keep us healthy. Monitor on Psychology, 54(4). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/06/cover-story-science-friendship