The importance of friendship on the intellectual level
The experience and learning from the common situations that friends go through with each other contribute to the mental development of a person, especially if this friendship is in the childhood stage, as the presence of friends helps focus on the important things in life and how to achieve them within multiple points of view and the exchange of experiences, ideas, opinions and discussions that support Seeing and analyzing situations and acting properly.
Among the most important points in which friendship contributes to mental construction and the development of a person’s way of thinking are:
Realistic criticism: In friendships, it is possible for the individual to present his opinion of you or something you do freely, far from pretense and flattery. Encouragement: In situations that you want to go through but fear its risks, friends provide the support you need, whether material or moral, in order to do what you want and ensure that you do it in the best possible way. Your friends know you yourself: our friends reflect our personalities, our identity, and what we like because of the nature of the experiences we spend together, and because we do not feel upset if they criticize us, on the contrary, we accept the matter with open arms.
The importance of friendship in joint social activities
We share with friends all social activities, whether sports, school, learning or work, and that the presence of friends contributes to the development of our social experiences in the situations that we may be exposed to during these activities from receiving assistance during learning to enhancing our productivity at work and increasing our skill in communicating with others. Perhaps the most characteristic of friendship on the social level is the adventures that friends may share, such as traveling or spending fun times, staying up late, singing, attending parties, and getting to know the opposite sex.
The importance of having friends on a person's mental health
Friends contribute to psychological support and overcome fears in many cases, especially those that may prevent a person from seeking what he wants, and among the most important things in which friends provide support are: Enhancing self-confidence: in moments when we doubt our ability, friends provide the necessary support So that we don't feel lonely and overcome any circumstances we face. Listening to what is inside us: Many times we desire the presence of someone to talk to about the problems and difficulties we suffer more than we desire the presence of someone who dictates advice and solutions to us, and there is no better than a close friend for that. Sharing secrets: We share with friends most of our small and large privacy about our family problems, embarrassing situations, and beautiful stories that every person may go through. Avoid feeling lonely: loneliness for a long time is boring and frustrating and exposes a person to depression, and a friend is the best remedy for this loneliness, as it contributes to raising our spirits and shares difficult times with us. Friends help relieve stress and anxiety: Friends help to quickly recover from psychological and emotional trauma and get out of post-traumatic stress disorder, as in the case of loss, divorce, or others. Effective friendship relationships are also considered an important factor in relieving daily or medium-term psychological stress.
The effect of friendship on physical health
Studies show that elderly people who have a rich social life live longer, and adults who have effective friendships and a supportive social environment are less likely to suffer from many health problems, such as depression, weight and body mass disorders, high blood pressure, and others.
Here we mention to you the most important health effects of friendship and how friends affect the health of the body:
Friendship prolongs life more than sports: In a study that monitored the impact of friendship on the chances of premature death; It was found that people who have strong friendships and a rich social milieu have greater chances of living longer, and the positive effect of friendship on longevity is equal to the effect of quitting cigarettes, and twice the effect of exercise in reducing the chances of premature death. Friendship reduces the risk of mental illness and aging: Studies also indicate that the presence of friends and interaction with them was one of the factors that protect the elderly from dementia and mental aging diseases, as the elderly who suffer from loneliness are more likely to develop dementia. Infection of obesity and fitness among friends: Friends are an incentive for you to change your physical condition if you suffer from excessive obesity or excess thinness, as research indicates that obesity is contagious among friends, as well as fitness and exercise are contagious among friends. Friendship protects against heart attack: Researchers indicate that friendship affects the health of the heart and the circulatory system in particular, as a study conducted on 1300 men and women showed that people who do not have deep friendships or have a few friends; They are more likely to have a first heart attack by about 50%, which is a very high percentage. Toxic friendship: Unfortunately, on the other hand, toxic friendship may be destructive to health, cause anxiety and depression, and increase the chances of heart disease and chronic diseases. Bad friendships affect self-realization, happiness and satisfaction in life. Human motives for making friends
Friendship from the point of view of psychology
The formation of friendship in a person since childhood begins with the influence of a group of motives, namely: The existence of common interests: The most important thing that drives the formation of friendships is the existence of common interests among friends, even if that is not the only reason, these interests are what are known as common interests, and this may explain In many cases, the friendship declines quickly when each person has different interests from the other, as they do not share the same activities that they used to do in the past, and yet the shared days and memories remain as a treasure that expresses a deep relationship in the minds of both parties to the relationship, even if communication between them is less. Shared memories and events: What strengthens friendship bonds most are the memories, social situations, and times that the two sides of the relationship went through with each other, where they have the same positive and negative feelings towards situations that occurred in the past and therefore the same reactions, which constitutes a strong ground for forming a deep and solid relationship, especially In difficult situations they help each other to overcome. Shared values and principles: Friendships may be formed despite the different points of view between friends, but the common intellectual attitudes and attitudes towards some situations in life work to strengthen the relationship between the two parties and their behavior is somewhat common.
How do we keep friends?
How to be a good person in friendships?
The relationship with a friend is not only to take, but we must also give, and to maintain a good friendship relationship, we must adhere to some rules with the friend, such as: friendliness and kindness in dealing: friendliness and good treatment are considered A basic behavior that must be followed in friendship. Dealing with kindness and expressing gratitude increases the strength of friendship. You should also be a good listener to the problems of your friends and the difficulties that they may suffer from, and show solidarity with them and take care of them. Mutual trust: You must be responsible, a source of trust, and a person who can be relied upon in difficult circumstances, adhere to the obligations promised to the friend, preserve his secrets and privacy, and not disclose them, and be open in sharing with the friend the conversation about your personal experiences, all of which contribute to deepening and increasing the bond between you. Regular communication: Shared time is the strongest factor in building a friendship, so make sure you spend enough time with your friend and be there when they need you in difficult situations.
How to make successful friends and get rid of fear and shyness when dealing with people: The first step Some see meeting new people is a scary event and feeling very anxious and thinking if the other person will love us or not and how to continue the conversation, and the more we think about it, the more tension and fear increases, so this fear develops into mental fear, which inadvertently prevents us from making friends New Don't think too much and do it. Step 2 If you don't interact with a lot of people, it may seem intimidating to meet a large number of new people. Start with a small group first by starting with your inner circle of friends, classmates or work colleagues, and practice joining and establishing groups of new friends, if If you want to have more friends, you must get out of the area you put yourself in and go out more often. You cannot make real friends if you stay at home. The third step Once you are with new people and want to get to know them, take the first step. If the other party does not start speaking, then you welcome, get to know some of them better. Share something about yourself, then give the other party an opportunity to share something about themselves. Step Four Join a reading club or library Try to find places with different activities to meet new people, this is a great way to find other people with common interests, or do volunteer work and charitable organizations is also a good way to get to know people of all ages to meet others, and if If you love animals, you can join the animal shelter and meet friends there who share the same interest in loving animals. Step Five : Keep in touch with your friends People often lose contact with their friends because they are either too busy or do not value their friends enough. Try to participate in holidays and events and go out with them at least once in a while and contact them or send messages through social media. Step Six Show warmth, love, and respect towards everyone you meet. Do things because you want to do them, not because you have to, so take care of them. If you deal with others with real authenticity, you will attract people who want to communicate honestly. You will have real friends in the future. Step 7 Be yourself Don't change yourself to make new friends Be trustworthy One of the best things about having a friend is that you have someone you can talk to about anything you need to build trust The key to being a good friend is the ability to keep secrets Don't talk about your friend Behind their backs or let him down when he depends on you.
