Tough companionship for some results in solitude, the author asserts
In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to overlook the importance of building and maintaining friendships. However, research shows that investing time and effort in cultivating these relationships can significantly improve our well-being, longevity, and overall happiness.
A prompt RSVP helps a friend know how much food, extra chairs, or supplies they'll need, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable gathering for everyone. But beyond practicalities, strong friendships can offer emotional support, different perspectives, motivation, and a sense of belonging.
Positive social interactions stimulate the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that enhances happiness and encourages further engagement. Social support also helps buffer stress, reduces inflammation, strengthens the immune system, and even slows cellular aging by protecting chromosome telomeres.
Socially engaged seniors tend to have better physical health through increased activity encouraged by friendships, which promotes mobility, balance, and disease prevention. They also experience better sleep quality, which supports brain, hormonal, cardiovascular, and immune health.
Data from the Harvard Grant Study and other research confirm that the quality of close relationships predicts emotional resilience, cognitive health, and overall well-being more than wealth or IQ. In fact, studies show that investments in relationships can boost well-being by improving mood and self-esteem.
However, inconsistency and last-minute cancellations can weaken friendships that are critical for our well-being. Canceling should only happen for emergencies or serious extenuating circumstances, as canceling last minute or not showing up for no good reason communicates a lack of care or oblivion towards a friend's finances, emotions, energy, and time.
Self-confidence, trustworthiness, and willingness to trust others are three traits that make a good friend. Building trust with new friends may be challenging for some, like Lisa, who sometimes has difficulty trusting due to past experiences.
In a world where people are prioritizing their own time and not seeing social gatherings as important as they used to, it's more important than ever to honour our well-being. This requires considering not only our current feelings but also what's best long-term. Honouring our well-being means being thoughtful in our RSVPs and being consistent in our commitments.
To become a better friend, consider having honest conversations with your friends. Seek to understand their needs and support them in their journey. Remember, building a supportive social network is a key factor in living a longer, healthier, and emotionally fulfilling life.
For more information and tools designed to improve your well-being, subscribe to CNN's Life, But Better newsletter. By prioritizing our friendships and social connections, we can reap the benefits of improved well-being, longevity, sense of purpose, joy, community, and belonging. Helping others is also associated with living longer, so let's strive to be the best friends we can be.
- Investing in friendships, beyond practicalities, can offer emotional support, different perspectives, motivation, and a sense of belonging, all of which contribute to our overall well-being and happiness.
- Building strong friendships, especially as we age, can lead to better physical health due to increased activity, better sleep quality, and a stronger immune system – benefits that extend to longevity and even cellular aging.
- The quality of our close relationships, according to research, significantly impacts our emotional resilience, cognitive health, and overall well-being, surpassing the effects of wealth or intelligence.
- Maintaining friendships requires thoughtfulness in RSVPs, consistency in commitments, and honest conversations to understand and support our friends' needs. Honoring our well-being in this way can improve our mood, self-esteem, and personal growth.
- Prioritizing friendships and social connections, through resources like CNN's Life, But Better newsletter, can lead to numerous benefits, including improved well-being, longevity, sense of purpose, joy, community, and belonging – and, interestingly, may even contribute to living longer.
