A large global study has found that strong friendships and social relationships during adulthood are associated with better long-term mental and physical health, and their influence may be stronger than the quality of family relationships a person experienced during childhood.
اضافة اعلان
According to the British newspaper The Mirror, researchers analyzed data from around 205,000 adults across 22 countries as part of a study examining factors associated with human flourishing and health throughout life.
Participants were asked to rate their satisfaction with their current friendships and social relationships, as well as the quality of their relationships with their parents during childhood and their current mental and physical health.
The findings showed that people who reported higher levels of satisfaction with their friendships and relationships were more likely to report good mental and physical health. By contrast, the association between the quality of childhood relationships with parents and current health was weaker.
The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Fily Dormo of the Kütahya University of Health Sciences in Turkey, said the findings highlight the importance of social relationships as a fundamental component of health and well-being.
He explained that positive friendships and relationships may help people cope with stress, build self-confidence and regulate their emotions more effectively.
He noted that social environments are constantly changing, meaning new relationships can reinforce or modify the effects of earlier experiences.
Marriage, financial stability and religious affiliation were also associated with better mental and physical health indicators.
Meanwhile, people in the age group from their mid-30s to late 40s reported lower levels of mental health compared with younger adults, before the indicators improved among those over 65.
The researchers called for social relationships to be incorporated into public-health and prevention strategies, given their potential role in promoting both mental and physical health.
