33 Reasons You Need Friends

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Ayodeji Olaniyan of Discovering Purpose .

Everybody needs a friend. And there are many reasons why.

They are fun giving, support giving, love giving and life giving.

It’s a fact!

A report published on the BBC website just this week states, ‘Having a good network of friends and neighbours boosts survival chances by 50%’.

This research was carried out by Julianne Holt-Lundstad and her colleagues from The Brigham Young University. Their study looked at over 300,000 people from four continents over a period of seven years, and those with the strongest social networks fared best in terms of health outcomes and lifespan. They were nearly twice (1.5 times) more likely to be alive at any given age than those who were lonely.

A few points to note from this research are as follows:

• Caring about others makes you take better care of yourself.
• Although this is controversial but, having few friends is as damaging to survival as smoking 15 cigarettes a day or being alcoholic. (PLoS Medicine)
• Friendships and social networks are deteriorating because we struggle to juggle careers, families and find a happy work-life balance.
• Constant interaction is beneficial to us psychologically and physically.
• Building/developing friendships boost our health and well being. (From The BBC Website)

The subject of friendship is very touchy and there’s a possibility you‘ve been let down in the past by friends you trusted (I was); but can I share a secret with you?

You Can’t Exist In Isolation!

According to Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, friendship is a cooperative and supportive relationship between two or more people. It is centered on support, cooperation, mutual esteem, knowledge, affection and respect.

There is so much friendship can do for you; whether it’s hanging out with your colleagues after work, or going shopping with your girlfriends, playing the Xbox/Nintendo Wii, going to the cinema, discussing different issues, dining out…….  We get this feeling of being loved, satisfied and fulfilled in the relationship.

There is a need to develop different levels of friendship at work, college, in different social circles etc.

A quick exercise:

• Make a mental note of the friends you have.
• What makes them special?
• Ponder on the fun, excitement, good/bad times you’ve experienced together.
• Would your life have taken a different course if certain friends didn’t exist in your world?

Tip Of The Day. Celebrate and appreciate your friends.

The aim of this post is to point out several reasons why building or establishing friendships plays an important role in your life.

In no particular order, here are 33 reasons you need friends please note some are controversial but…)

• You are respected and accepted for who you are.
• Your actions are rarely judged on a face value.
• You need friends because they always provide a listening ear.
• You are told the truth even when it hurts.
• You need friends because you can always rely or count on them.
• They value you and the relationship that exists between the two of you.
• They help to boost your self esteem.
• If you need a display of loyalty or faithfulness, you definitely need a friend.
• Cordial relationships exist and are enhanced by solid friendships.
• Communication most of the time is easy with friends because you are on the same page.
• There isn’t a feeling of loneliness when you have a friend around.
• Friends provide physical, emotional and spiritual support.
• Friends are concerned about your well being.
• True friends would display honesty, harbor no grudges or show any form of betrayal.
• There are several things you could share in common such as sports, travelling, current affairs, cooking ……
• You could receive comfort from friends when you are faced with difficult times or struggles.
• Friends are true team players and stand by you through the good or bad times.
• All sorts/forms of help are rendered to and received from friends.
• You learn new things from friends.
• They increase your sphere of influence.
• Friends enhance your life.
• Professor Sally Macintyre (director of The Medical Research Council’s Social and Public Health Sciences Unit) believes we need build on the above stated research and find out how we can use social relationships to reduce the risk of death
• Friends create/provide opportunities to meet new people and expose you to different social circles.
• They voice out their opinions and give advice where necessary.
• Some friends could become potential spouses in the future. (Mine was; laugh!!!)
• Friends provide you with the encouragement or motivation you need in different circumstances.
• They liven up your hearts.
• They increase/improve your level of networking.
• You are real with your friends and as a result can share a laugh or shed a tear around them.
• Do you need a spike in your self confidence? Build friendships, it works all the time.
• There’s a sense of being secured when you hang around your friends.
• They attempt to reduce the level of stress you experience.
• Friends get involved in your personal growth and development.

Finally:

Please take a few minutes to call, send an email or visit your friend; expressing your love, appreciation, gratitude, support…..

There are other reasons why you need friends.

I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

Ayo Olaniyan writes on how you can discover your purpose through personal development and self-awareness on the blog Discovering Purpose. He is also the editor of The Life Skills Magazine. 

Image Courtesy of NYCArthur