Friends and Your Mental Health
By Leslie Thompson
Most people will attest to the fact that friendships play an important role in one’s life. A good friend is there for you during the good times and the bad, through thick and thin, and during moments of despair and those filled with joy. Friends are priceless. But do friendships actually affect an individual’s psychological state and mental well-being? There is a new theory that friendships—whether good or bad—have an impact on an individual’s mental health for the positive and the negative.
Studies have shown that friendships are good for one’s mental health because they provide a support system to help people deal with the problems they are bound to come across in life. Friendships also provide some much-needed stress relief. Sharing one’s work woes or dishing about the latest celebrity gossip over dinner with friends helps relieve tension and also boosts your mood.
Friendships usually lift a person’s self esteem and provide a sense of security that is extremely important if an individual is suffering from mental health issues such as depression. Friendships also help you feel connected with others and those individuals who have a large circle of friends and/or close confidants are more likely to live longer than those who live a more secluded lifestyle. People with a strong circle of friends are generally happier than those who do not, and, as a result, have stronger immune systems. Studies have also shown that seniors who socialize frequently have lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and are less likely to be depressed than their less socially active peers.
Even though there are many benefits of having friends, friendships can also be detrimental to one’s mental health. Like unhealthy romantic relationships, unhealthy friendships are common. Perhaps you have a friend who loves to put you down or one who is constantly competing with you, but you still spend time with him or her. It’s the person who at times you really like and at other times you despise. These “frenemies” have been around for years, but the term has only recently been coined. A frenemy is a cross between a “friend” and an “enemy,” and almost everyone has had one.
Frenemies bring out the worst in a person because their “friendship” is based on jealousy, envy, and competition. This can cause unneeded stress, irritation, and anxiety—all the things healthy friendships avoid. Women in particular are more likely to hide or try to suppress feelings of jealousy toward a friend, which can lead to feelings of anger toward a particular individual, while also causing elevations in blood pressure.
There’s a lot to be said about having solid friendships as long as they are healthy, positive, and supportive. Next time you decline an invitation to meet up with friends, think twice. A night out with positive friends may just be what the doctor ordered.
