For most people, friendships are an important part of life. Sharing experiences is part of being human. And many studies have shown that loneliness has a negative effect on our well-being. Friendship has a positive impact on mental health, but can it also have physical benefits? Medical News Today examines the evidence and talks to experts to find out why friendships are good for our health and well-being.
We don’t have to be social all the time – sometimes we need to enjoy our space – but all people need social interactions.
That’s why people make friends and work to keep those friendships. And quality friendships will benefit everyone involved.
Human beings are a social species. From the earliest times, individuals have needed to cooperate to survive, and we still do. We are not alone in this: most animals have social interactions and rely on cooperation.
Although animal friendships have been derided as anthropomorphism, research has now shown that some animals form stable long-term relationships just like human friendships.
Of course, not all animals have such friendships: as far as we know, these are limited to those who live in stable social groups, such as higher primates, elephants and cetaceans, such as whales and dolphins.
The basis of friendship is mutual value: each individual offers something that is valuable to another individual.
As humans, we value others for all sorts of reasons. They may enjoy the same things we do, they may have similar political views, or perhaps help with work or housework.
Once we decide that we like someone, most of the time we will work to maintain that friendship.
Speaking to Medical News Today, Dr. Scott Kaiser, geriatrician and director of Geriatric Cognitive Health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, said this about the role of friendship in the evolution of humanity:
Research suggests that evolution has continually selected to increase social connection with social interaction and networks that play an important role in people’s survival. According to this picture, our ancestors formed social connections – by working together, sharing food and helping each other – to feel safe and protected. “
“Humans are hardwired to connect, and social connections are an essential part of good health and well-being – we need them to survive and thrive, just like we need food, water and oxygen,” said Dr. Kaiser.
As children, most of us find it easy to make friends, but adults may find it more difficult. The good news is that the benefits of childhood friendships stay with us into adulthood.
In one study, the boys were followed up at the age of 32. Those who reported having many friends in childhood had lower blood pressure and were more likely to have a healthy weight than those who were less sociable.
And it’s not just close friendships that are good for us. People of all ages benefit from any kind of social interaction. A 2017 study of “SuperAgers” – people in their 80s who have the memory skills of those several decades younger – found that they had much higher levels of positive social relationships than those with cognitive abilities expected for their age.
According to a 2014 study, “loneliness is not caused by being alone, but by being without a relationship or a set of necessary and defined relationships.”
The study went on to suggest that loneliness can lead to many psychiatric disorders, such as depression, personality disorders, alcohol consumption and sleep disturbances, and may also contribute to physical health problems.
So does socializing help protect against mental health disorders? Almost certainly, as Lee Chambers, psychologist and founder of Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing, told MNT.
“Having friends,” he noted, “has the potential to protect us from the impact of loneliness, and having effective friendships can protect us from the negative effects of loneliness.”
But what is an effective friendship? According to a study, high-quality friendships are more likely to be characterized by support, reciprocity, and intimacy.
Effective friendships provide a strong sense of companionship, mitigate feelings of loneliness, and contribute to both life satisfaction and self-esteem.
And there’s a positive feedback loop between social relationships and self-esteem – each reinforces the other. So friendships increase self-esteem, which is a protective factor for physical and mental health.
Lack of social interaction affects not only our mental health. Studies have shown that low quantity or quality of social bonds are linked to many medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and impaired immune function.
“Social isolation and loneliness have a negative impact on health on a par with obesity, physical inactivity and smoking 15 cigarettes a day and are associated with an approximately 50% increased risk of dementia. Simply taking a moment to connect with someone, even through a short phone call, can reduce feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression and offer brain-protecting benefits.
A 2010 meta-analysis of 148 studies, looking at data from 308,849 people in total, found that participants with stronger social relationships had a 50% higher chance of survival on an average of 7.5 years than those without .
This study concluded that “interventions based on social relationships represent an important opportunity to improve not only the quality of life, but also survival”.
Studies have shown that strong friendships can reduce risk factors for more precarious long-term health, including waist circumference, blood pressure and inflammation levels. Emotional support plays an important role in this, having someone who listens, validates feelings and being a positive distraction an important structure in modern life, along with encouragement and support to adopt healthier behaviors and improve health outcomes.
That support and encouragement can benefit those who like to exercise too. A 2017 study of medical students found that those who took a weekly group exercise course had significantly lower stress levels than those who did the same amount of exercise alone.
So all the evidence suggests that socialization benefits both our mental and physical health. But why? The key could be oxytocin.
Oxytocin is a hormone and neurotransmitter, produced in the hypothalamus. He is involved in childbirth and breastfeeding, but is also associated with empathy, generosity and trust, all of which are key factors in friendships.
One study found that oxytocin was vital for social recognition in rodents, and this effect was also seen in people. Another, in which researchers gave people oxytocin via a nasal spray, found that this increased confidence and made them more willing to accept social risks.
But why does oxytocin have physical benefits? These are likely to be due to its effect on the stress hormone cortisol. Participants in one study who received intranasal oxytocin had lower cortisol levels than those who received a placebo when subjected to the stress of public speaking.
The adrenal glands release cortisol when a person is under stress. This is good for emergency situations as it prepares us for action, but bad when it occurs in the long term. Among other things, long-term high cortisol can cause high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and fatigue.
So keeping cortisol levels low is a good idea. This is where socialization comes in. When we are relaxed during positive social interactions, our bodies release oxytocin, so cortisol levels drop and, perhaps, with it, our blood pressure too.
“Connection is important, but it’s not just about numbers – amassing as many friends as possible on your favorite social media platform or in the real world – but about the quality of those connections and enjoying the invaluable benefits of meaningful relationships and support”.
We all enjoy time for ourselves, and some friendships can have a negative influence on our health and well-being, but there is a lot of evidence that supportive relationships are good for us.
So even the loners among us should recognize that going out and connecting with people can make us happier and healthier, and may even make us live longer.
