The importance of friendship cannot and should not be understated and in this article, I’m going to list 16 reasons for that.
Friendships are an important aspect of our lives. A lot of people have friends without realizing how lucky they are to have those people in their lives. Yes, everyone can have friends and some friends will come and go, but your outlook towards the relationship of friendship itself needs to be steered in a more positive manner.
We’ve been making friends since we were young. We’ve socialized with others ever since we learned how to walk. As kids, we played with other kids. We played with classmates, neighbors, and schoolmates as teenagers. The importance of friendship should be even more realized as adults as it is in this part of our lives where our friendships will really have a massive impact on our lives.
Why Making Friends Should Be A Priority In Life
Most people will consider their socializing lives as something they do in their free time. They do it when they can. It’s something most people don’t really plan out.
Making friends is something a lot of people see as a side activity and not a priority. You should stop making this the case.
Socializing is important and it should be treated as such. If you see socializing as an important activity, your motivation to make more friends and to value the friendships you already have will skyrocket. You will learn more about the actual importance of friendship as you continue reading on.
Take the time to actually go out of your way to socialize with other people and make friends. Make actual plans for it like you would any other important aspects of your life.
Now that we’ve talked about the importance of friendship, let’s talk about how it can actually bring a positive impact in your life.
The Importance of Friendship: Why You Need Friends In Your Life
Below are 16 reasons why you need friends in your life.
1. It will help your physical and mental health
Scientists and researchers have constantly proven the positive impacts friendships can bring on our overall well-being. Having friends in our life can help improve our physical and mental health.
Our bodies release chemicals called endorphins, which is considered to be our body’s natural painkiller, if we’re constantly surrounded by friends we care about. You will literally be undoing going self-healing just by being around your friends.
The friendships you build and the moments you spend with your friends are all very beneficial for your health mentally and physically. If that’s not enough to persuade you on the importance of friendship, I don’t know what will.
2. Celebrations are better
Having friends with you on your successful moments will make all of your celebrations so much better. Your true friends will always see your value and congratulate you on your achievements.
People always say, “What good are achievements if you have no one to celebrate it with?” Your friends are people you can and should be celebrating with. Being an achiever alone is all good and impressive too, but let’s admit it—it feels amazing to be patted in the back every once in a while for a job well done.
Your friends will know that and will lift you up even more.
3. Troubles are more bearable
On the other side of things, you will also have people with you in your times of trouble.
Everybody hits a rough patch every once in a while. I mean, it’s just part of the life we live in, but that doesn’t mean we should just stand by and mourn every time it happens. We can deal it with alone, or we can deal with it faster and better with the help of a few helping hands.
Your friends are very good sources of inspiration and help with your downtimes. They will be there for you and help raise you up. As they stay with you in your good moments, they will also be there for you when the going gets bad.
4. Socializing with other people is easier
You should always embrace the possibility of having more friends. With that said, having very close friends already will make the process of making new friendships easier.
The friends you already have are very likely to keep introducing you to other people. They’ll also meet a few people along the way, either from work or their other socializing outlets. When they do make a new friendship, you’re bound to meet them too. When that happens, make sure you do your best to befriend them as well.
You will also undoubtedly be with your close friends as you hang out in bars, parks, cafes, and other places where you can meet other people. If you’re too shy to go up to other people yourself, any one of your friends can always help you with that.
5. Your ideas get heard
Your friends will also lend their ears whenever needed. If you have ideas that need to be heard, your closest friends should be the first ones to hear them. They will help you either expand that idea or tell you to work on it more.
Constructive criticisms will come into play here. Your true friends will always be honest with you and you should welcome that honesty. If your idea is not too great, they will let you know so you can work on it to improve it. If your idea is amazing, they’ll be sure to let you know too.
Either way, you’ll be able to improve upon an idea that needs to be worked on or immediately spread a really amazing idea.
6. You learn more from friends
Friendships will make your life more fun, sure, but certain friendships also allow you to become wiser. You will learn so many things as you progress in life and so will your friends.
You and your friends will share these experiences together and with each other. You’ll learn things you’ve never known before from friends. Your mind will be open to different things because of their experiences and stories. Your beliefs may even be shaken every once in a while because a friend made very valid points about something you disagreed with.
Moments like this will really make you value the true importance of friendships. The opportunity to be more knowledgeable is one of the many things you’ll have if you have friends around you.
7. We are naturally social creatures
It is buried deep within our subconscious to socialize with other people. It’s been proven that humans naturally are social creatures, meaning deep inside, no one really is an island. Or at least, our subconscious dictates that no one should be an island.
You are simply feeding your natural instincts whenever you socialize. We crave friendships and we need to give in to that in order to become functional as humans. Everyone has different levels of tolerance when it comes to crowds, so maybe some people should just socialize less than others, but it’s something you can’t restrict yourself from doing ever.
8. Friends will help you become more grounded
As mentioned earlier, your true friends will always be honest with you and you should be able to embrace that honesty. If ever your head stays in the skies for way too long, a friend will always be able to plant your feet back on the ground again.
Your friends will also help you get back on track in case you get lost in your way. If your priorities get out of control, they’ll help you fix it. If your path becomes misaligned with your goals, they’ll help you find your way.
9. You’ll become more passionate about the things you care about
This will become even more true if you and your friends are passionate about the same thing. If this is the case, you will be mastering your craft and paying attention to your passion even more with people who share the same fire. People whom you can call friends.
Even if you and your friends have different interests, your friends will always cheer you on for keeping up with your passion. You will be doing the same for them. There will be a healthy symbiotic exchange of support between you and your friends. This will make you more passionate about the things you care about and make you appreciate your friends.
10. You can be more helpful
Your friends will be there in your times of trouble. As a fair exchange, you should also be there whenever they’re going through something awful too. Friendships, like all relationships, should run both ways. They help you, you help them.
Aside from the fact that you’re helping someone you care about go through a horrible event, helping other people will also make you a better person as a whole. The effects of helping other people out on your moral standing are massive. The more you help people, the more you’ll want to do it, thus making you a better person in the process.
In the essence of this, the importance of friendship is significant not only because it benefits your mental and physical health, but also because it turns you into an overall better person. After all, if you truly care about someone, you’ll do your best to help them unconditionally.
11. Having close friends is like having another set of family
Let’s face it—there are just some things you will never be comfortable with talking about with your relatives. This where your friends come in. There are certain things your friends will be able to give you advice on without judgment.
There are also things you do with your friends that you will never do around your family. You’re somehow always just a little bit more reserved with your family, or at least, there are certain aspects about you your family will never understand. But your friends will.
12. You can travel with people you care about
Seeing the world is one of the best experiences we can have. Sharing these experiences with people we care about makes it so much better.
Traveling alone is amazing too. It can be good for our soul and mind and we get to meet new people from different cultures. But doing these things with friends is a whole other experience. You get to have more fun and you’ll share moments with your friends that you’ll forever cherish.
13. Your career will improve
Having friends as your very own support group will also make you more determined to rise at the top of your career. As mentioned earlier, your ideas will be heard if you have close friends alongside you. This can do wonders for your career as well.
Aside from your ideas getting heard, your friends can also be sources of connections. They may refer you to someone they know who can help you be more knowledgeable and skillful in your job. They may even know people who can help you get a higher position in your career if you deserve it. You will have access to a world of possibilities in terms of career growth just by having friends.
14. It will do wonders for your self-esteem
Your friends will always bring you up when you’re feeling down. They will work up your self-esteem if you aren’t feeling your best. Funnily enough, they may even force you sometimes. Whatever the case, your self-esteem will always be nurtured or you will feel more inclined to nurture it because of your friends’ supportive words and help.
Having a healthy self-esteem will have a positive impact on many aspects of your life. You can be more of an achiever in your life of work, you can socialize better, and you’ll see the world in a different light if your self-esteem is up. Your friends will be able to help you maintain that up.
Getting The Friends You Want
Now that you know the things that highlight the importance of friendship, it’s time for you to go out there.
Be sure to check out the other articles on this site if you want to learn more about making friends and working on your social skills. Better yet, you can grab a copy of my eBook if you want a more in-depth research tool. After that, you can proceed to make more friends, spend more time with your current friends, and allow your life to improve drastically.