Are our friendships good for us?

By Stephen Beech

Friends really are good for our mental and physical health, according to new research.

The study involving more than 200,000 adults, from 22 countries, shows good quality social connections are linked with perceptions of improved well-being.

Fulfilling friendships and general close social relationships are strongly linked to excellent physical and mental health, according to the study.

The findings, published in the Journal of Mental Health, show good quality social connections and — to a lesser extent — positive family ties in childhood are associated with better perceptions of overall mental and physical well-being.

The study involved participants from countries including the U.K., United States, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain and India.

Study lead author Veli Durmuş says the findings demonstrate the importance of social and family bonds.

Durmuş, of Kütahya Health Sciences University in Turkey, called on policymakers to ensure health strategies recognize the influence of emotional and social connections on mental and physical health.

He said: "I found that people who were more satisfied with their friendships and relationships also tended to report better mental and physical health.

"These findings show why social connections should be considered an important part of overall health and well-being.

"With this in mind, public health planning and prevention strategies should include the impact on mental and physical wellbeing of how people connect with others and with their families."

Evidence shows relationships protect against stress, boost self-esteem and help people manage their emotions in a positive way.

The number and quality of personal ties made by humans influence mental and bodily well-being from birth onward, according to previous research.

However, studies have focused only on individual countries and results have proved inconsistent.

To bridge the knowledge gap, Durmuş analyzed data from 204,907 adults aged 18 and over from the Global Flourishing Study (GFS).

The project surveys individuals to determine what factors help humans to flourish throughout life.

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The GFS covers countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East and Africa.

For the purpose of the new study, researchers used the first phase of the GFS to ensure religious and cultural diversity.

Participants were asked the extent to which they agreed or disagreed that they were content or satisfied with their friendships and relationships.

Childhood connections with mothers and fathers were scored on a scale from "very good" to "very bad."

Those taking part in the survey also had to rate their mental and physical health from "poor" to "excellent."

The research team also took into account income, education and other factors.

Results showed that people who reported the highest contentment with friendships and for satisfaction with relationships also tended to report better overall mental and physical health.

A similar, although weaker, pattern emerged among participants who reported very good childhood relationships with their parents.

Durmuş says that the findings suggest that early family relationships may be associated with health and well-being later in life, while adult social relationships may also play an important role.

He added: "While these additional findings suggest that childhood relationships matter, they do not tell the whole story.

"People's social environments continue to change throughout life, and friendships, partnerships and other relationships may strengthen or modify the influence of earlier experiences."

Mental health scores were lower among people in their mid-30s to late 40s compared with those aged 18 to 34, but higher among those aged 65 and above.

Being married, having sufficient money and identifying with a religion, especially Islam, was associated with better mental and physical health scores.

But "marked" variations existed between countries, according to the findings.

People living in Indonesia scored highest for contentment with friendships and relationships, and lowest among those in Japan.

Durmuş says the findings show strong social relationships serve as a "universal pillar" of well-being across cultural backgrounds.

He emphasized that the strength of the research lies in the analysis of data from multiple countries with populations made up of people from diverse backgrounds.