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Good friendships are more important to health than family relationships
Especially in old age, social relationships are very important to avoid loneliness and certain diseases. Researchers have now found that friendships can be even more important to happiness and health than our family relationships.
The scientists at Michigan State University found in their research that friendships have a greater impact on our happiness and our health than our family relationships. The doctors published a press release on the results of their study.
Friendships are important to our health and happiness. Experts found that old-age friendships lead to greater benefits than family relationships. (Image: Syda Productions / fotolia.com) Researchers are studying data from nearly 280,000 participants
For their analysis, the experts analyzed the data of nearly 280,000 subjects from various studies. Researchers found that friendships become increasingly important to happiness and health throughout life. For older adults, friendships are actually a stronger predictor of health and happiness than relationships with family members, the researchers add.
Be sure to nurture your circle of friends
Friendships become even more important as we age, says author Professor William Chopik. If you get a really good circle of friends in old age, this could make a big difference to your health and well-being. In other words, it is advisable that you invest time and effort in the friendships that make you happiest, the expert adds.
Experts evaluate data from two studies
For their study, the researchers analyzed the survey information on relationships and the self-assessment of health and happiness of 271,053 participants of all ages from nearly 100 countries. A second study examined data from a separate survey on relationship support, stress, and chronic disease in 7,481 older adults in the United States.
In old age, friendships are a stronger predictor of health and happiness
Both family and friendship relationships have been associated with better health and more perceived happiness. In old age, however, only friendships were a stronger predictor of health and happiness, the researchers explain.
Effects of friendships
Friendships are generally very influential. For example, when friends were the source of stress, affected participants reported more chronic illnesses compared to people whose friends were a source of support. Such people were generally happier, the authors add.
Especially in old age, good friends are becoming more important
Throughout our lives, we keep some good friends and separate ourselves from the rest. Such good friends produce pleasant feelings and happiness in us. Friends can be a very important source of support for people who, for example, do not have a spouse or simply do not have contact with their family, explains author Professor Chopik. Friends can prevent the loneliness of loneliness if they mourn their partner or live socially isolated after their retirement.
Family relationships can have negative interactions
Family relationships are often very enjoyable. But sometimes they are associated with serious, negative and monotonous interactions. Summaries of studies show that friendships foster daily happiness and our life expectancy more than do spouses and family relationships, the author adds.
How do I recognize a good friendship??
Friendships are often neglected in relationship research. This is very strange, considering that friendships could be more influential in our happiness and health than any other form of relationship, the experts say. Friendships help to avoid loneliness. However, it is not easy to maintain a friendship over the lifetime, says author Professor William Chopik. If a friendship has lasted the whole life, then you can be sure that this must be a good friendship. (As)