What Is Friendship, And How Does It Promote Mental Health?
Key takeaways
- Friendship can be defined as a mutually beneficial bond between two people based on platonic love.
- Good friendships provide a safe space for vulnerability as well as emotional support and a sense of community.
- National Friendship Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in August, providing an opportunity to express appreciation for the friends in your life.
Friendship can be described as a close and long-lasting relationship based on various factors. Relationships with friends can provide physical and mental health benefits. National Friendship Day in August can be a great opportunity to celebrate meaningful friendships. If you struggle to connect with others or maintain healthy relationships, therapy may be a helpful resource.
What is friendship? A general definition
Friendship can be seen as a relationship between two people based on elements like respect, shared values, mutual enjoyment of activities, trust, and support. In addition to enjoying spending time together, friends often provide emotional support when life challenges arise.
What is friendship in psychology? How psychologists define friendship
While there may be many ways to define friendships, psychological science has a specific definition. According to the American Psychological Association, friendship is defined as “a voluntary relationship between two or more people that is relatively long-lasting and in which those involved tend to be concerned with meeting the others’ needs and interests as well as satisfying their own desires.” The APA definition goes on to explain that friendships often develop through shared experiences and tend to be mutually gratifying.
How do friendships provide emotional support and promote mental health?
Friendships can provide emotional support in a variety of ways. For example, friends can offer judgment-free spaces to each other where they can be vulnerable and share their thoughts and feelings. Friends can also listen with empathy, offering different perspectives and encouragement during challenging times. Healthy friendships can promote a sense of deep connection, as well as enhance a person’s self-confidence.
Not all friendships are supportive or emotionally intimate, however. For instance, while some of your close friends might be included among your Facebook friends, FB friends and other social media connections may not translate to real-life friendships.
The value of a best friend for mental health: Friendships that provide emotional support
A best friend tends to be far more than just a casual acquaintance. When you spend time with a best friend, you generally recognize that they know you and your life history intimately, and that they care deeply about you. You may know that you can trust your best friend to be emotionally secure, and that your friendship will persist over time. The stability and reliability of these types of healthy relationships can be invaluable for overall emotional health.
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What are other benefits of friendship?
Aside from offering emotional support, spending time with friends can have numerous other benefits. Improved physical health, a sense of community, and material support are a few examples.
Physical health benefits
Friendship can come with physical health benefits, such as lowered cholesterol and blood pressure. These advantages, in turn, can reduce the risk of heart disease. Friends can also encourage each other to exercise and engage in healthy habits, which may promote better sleep, reduced stress, and decreased inflammation. It’s also possible that friendship may play a role in lowering dementia risk.
Community
A sense of community tends to be crucial for mental health, as research suggests that it’s associated with reduced symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. Having strong friendships typically contributes to a person’s sense of community and belief that they belong, satisfying an innate human need.
Material support
Good friendships and personal relationships can also provide material support. For example, friends might bring you dinner if you’re sick, pick up your kids from school if you’re running late from work, or help you with a move to a new house.
What is Friendship Day in August?
National Friendship Day in the United States takes place on the first Sunday in August. It’s a day when people can acknowledge and appreciate the support of friends in their lives.
How to celebrate Friendship Day in August
On National Friendship Day, you can express appreciation for your friends and family members. You might spend quality time together, cook a meal for your loved ones, send cards to your friends, exchange homemade gifts, or call friends who live far away.
Is it helpful to attend therapy while navigating friendships?
If you have concerns related to friendship or relationships in general, attending therapy may be helpful. Therapy can help you to get to the root of attachment challenges or insecurities, and it can guide you in developing healthier self-esteem and more constructive thought patterns related to interpersonal relationships.
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Is online therapy effective?
It’s possible to attend therapy in person or online. Online therapy may be a particularly convenient option for people with busy schedules or who don’t live near a therapist’s office. It can also be helpful for those who struggle with social situations, as they can choose between video, audio, and online chat sessions to suit their comfort level.
Research suggests that online cognitive behavioral therapy can effectively reduce loneliness. A large and growing body of evidence supports the use of online therapy as an equally effective alternative to face-to-face care.
Takeaway
Friendship tends to be important for both physical and mental health. It can provide a safe space for vulnerability and serve as a source of guidance. National Friendship Day in August can be a good time to acknowledge and celebrate the support received from friends, but any day can be an excellent opportunity to tell your friends how much you appreciate them. Individuals experiencing friendship or relationship difficulties may benefit from speaking with a licensed therapist in person or online.
What is the best definition of friendship?
The APA Dictionary of Psychology defines friendship as “a voluntary relationship between two or more people that is relatively long-lasting and in which those involved tend to be concerned with meeting the others’ needs and interests as well as satisfying their own desires.” Strong social connections tend to be vital for human beings’ overall well-being.
What is an unhealthy friendship?
It may be possible to identify an unhealthy friendship by considering how you feel after interacting with a friend. Do you feel uplifted, or do you feel worse after spending time with the person? A true friend should generally promote happiness and lead your challenges to seem lighter.
What are the three ingredients of friendship?
While there can be many important ingredients to friendship, a few such qualities include compassion, empathy, loyalty, stability, and respect. Friendships come in many forms, and how many friends a person has may not be as important as having real friendship and social support.
How do you know if someone is a friend?
If you’re questioning your relationships with other individuals, wondering whether they’re considered friends, you might consider whether they are there for you in challenging times, whether they understand you, and whether they treat you with kindness. In general, having a few friends who are reliable is preferable to having more friends who are only present during the good times.
How to tell if your friendship is fading?
It’s possible that your friendship could be fading if you talk much less frequently than you used to or if you don’t seem to enjoy each other’s company anymore. Many adults drift apart over time, and you may find that you connect with other friends more during certain seasons of life.
How do you maintain a friendship?
Maintaining a healthy friendship often involves developing friendship skills like active listening, effective communication, cooperation, conflict resolution, and empathy. Similar to romantic relationships, friendships usually require consistent effort to maintain.
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