Strong friendships through adulthood are vital for lifelong health, a global study shows. Good social connections appear to be even more important than positive family ties in childhood, according to research into 205,000 people in 22 countries.
Study findings on social connections
Experts say relationships protect against stress, boost self-esteem and help people manage their emotions in a positive way. The study, published in the Journal of Mental Health, involved participants from countries including the UK, United States, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain and India.
Study lead author Dr Veli Durmu, of Kutahya Health Sciences University in Turkey, said: "I found that people who were more satisfied with their friendships and relationships also tended to report better mental and physical health."
Childhood relationships matter, but not the whole story
Previous research has shown the number and quality of personal ties influence mental and bodily well-being from birth onwards. Dr Durmu added: "While these 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."
Dr Durmu analysed data from 204,907 adults aged 18 and over from the Global Flourishing Study to determine what factors help humans to flourish throughout life. It covers countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, and Africa. Participants were asked the extent to which they agreed or disagreed that they were content or satisfied with their friendships and relationships.
Impact on health and well-being
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". People who reported the highest contentment with friendships and 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.
The research team attempted to take into account income, education and other factors. Being married, having sufficient money, and identifying with a religion was associated with better mental and physical health scores. Mental health scores were lower among people in their mid-thirties to late forties compared with those aged 18 to 34, but higher among those aged 65 and above. People living in Indonesia scored highest for contentment with friendships and relationships, and lowest among those in Japan.
Dr Durmu said: "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."
