Markham Heid explains in his article titled, “You Asked: How Many Friends Do I Need?” about the benefits that having close relationships can have on overall wellbeing and health. He explains that having friends can help protect health as much as quitting smoking and even significantly more than exercise. Research has been shown that those who are socially isolated are two times more at risk of dying from heart disease as compared to those that have close social relationships. Dr. Debra Umberson goes on to explain that relationships help increase overall mental health, which is related to increased immune function, decreased stress and less activation of cardiovascular system.
According to the General Social Survey, the number of friends people have is usually not enough. In recent decades, the amount of people who responded to this survey saying they have no close friends has tripled. When asked how many confidants people have, “zero” is the most common response. In particular, adult men have been shown to struggle at keeping and maintaining friendships. Even though social media can seem to keep people connected, friendships that increase overall health are the ones you can hug, lament with and laugh with. Dr. Robin Dunbar suggests that having three to five friends will help increase overall wellbeing. Dunbar has done quite a bit of research on the topic of friendship. He states that it is difficult to have social circles contain more than 150 people. Within this group of people though, he suggests that the closest 15 people in peoples’ lives are the most critical for overall wellbeing. Good friends, rather than kin, are more likely to trigger you to release endorphins that help increase your immune system and thus protect you from certain diseases. In conclusion, Dr. Mark Vernon who is the author of the book titled, “The Meaning of Friendship” says Ralph Waldo Emerson gave the best advice when he said, “The only way to have a friend is to be one”.
To find out more ways to keep yourself healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com.
