By Polina Pallieraki,
Adult friendships are an important part of the human experience and affect many areas of our lives. Although friendships change and evolve over time, their importance remains priceless. In this article, we’ll look at the importance of friendships in adulthood, the ways they affect our well-being and mental health, and how we can create and maintain meaningful friendships in the modern age.
Friendships are unique relationships because, unlike family relationships, we are able to choose them. Also unlike other types of bonds, such as marriage and romantic relationships, they lack any formal structure. We couldn’t go months without talking to our partner, but we could stand not contacting a friend. And yet, there are numerous studies that show how important friends are to our happiness. And although friendships tend to change as we grow older, there is a consistency in what people want from them.
Friendship, a loose bond, faces life’s trials with a flexibility that formal relationships rarely possess. As we grow older and move into adulthood, it’s our friendships that suffer the most. However, family and our partner remain our focus. Once, we could visit our friend unannounced, now we ask if he has time for a drink in two weeks.
Early adulthood is crucial for the formation of friendships: friendships become more complex and meaningful. In childhood, friends are mostly children who share play. In adolescence, there is more support and depth, but even then teenagers are discovering their identity and learning what intimacy means. Early adulthood is a period that has the advantage of the deepest friendship.
As we reach middle age, responsibilities, and occupations increase, putting friendships under strain. It’s easier to cancel a meeting with a friend than to miss our child’s party. Even singles, however, are affected by the fact that their friends are starting families. During middle age, according to researchers, friendships often develop through various aspects of our lives – they can be co-workers, parents of our children, or people we meet by chance. However, even in these cases, friendships can suffer, as they are formed in concrete and easy circumstances.
At the end of the day, friendships in adulthood emerge as an essential chapter in the richness of human experience. They are the links that support us in difficult times, bring us joy and meaningful conference moments, and help us evolve and grow as people. The importance of friendships transcends the boundaries of everyday life and reflects our need for connection, recognition, and community. Let us never forget to honor and nurture these precious relationships, as they are the heart of the human combined experience. Let’s invest in our friendships because at the end of the day, they are what make us richer.
References
- Τελικά πως είναι οι φιλίες στην ενήλικη ζωή. savoir ville. Available here
- How to make friends as an adult. Very well mind. Available here
