Credits: Social Media
Love helps you live longer, but something outside your relationship ‘guarantees happiness’
While marriage and long-term relationships tend to contribute to longevity, satisfying friendships are key to a happy life.
Friends come and go. Some stick with you forever, and others part ways when you least expect it. No matter how satisfied you are in a relationship, having a social life is essential for overall well-being.
Study links happiness to satisfying friendships
Being single is a lifestyle choice for many adults and a large percentage of the American population is consciously choosing not to be in a long-term relationship.
Plenty is said about love birds who live happily for the rest of their lives, but a new study focuses on single people seeking happiness in genuine friendships.
Researchers from the University of California surveyed nearly 1000 single American adults aged between 18 and 24 to assess their overall happiness.
- DON’T DO THIS: Wedding planner reveals ‘inappropriate’ mistake a quarter of people make when proposing
The survey included five predictors of happiness: satisfaction with family, satisfaction with friends, self-esteem, neuroticism, and extraversion. Of all the options, young individuals who scored high in friendship satisfaction were particularly happy.
“On the basis of their findings, the researchers suggest that young, single adults might benefit from deliberately creating meaningful, long-term friendships,” the study notes.
Friends play a major role in your dating life
As well as filling your life with joy, healthy friendships also impact your romantic relationships. Renowned psychologist Sadia Khan explains how and why people who struggle with friends have an equally hard time with their romantic partners.
Those who lack genuine friendships – ones that naturally become our immediate support systems – tend to develop an unhealthy bond with their romantic partners.
Not only do people who lack friends grow to become extremely dependent and attached to their partner, but they also “accept the unacceptable” because they have no one else to lean on.
The psychologist recommends reevaluating your social life if you’re constantly depressed despite being in a long-term relationship.
