Good Friendship

Good friends can: increase your sense of belonging and purpose

Boost your happiness and reduce your stress

Enrich your life and improve your health

Can Help in Personal development

If you want to create positive change in your life or have a habit you want to break, friends can help you maintain your resolve to practice healthier habits. This may be one reason why strong friendships can lengthen your life.

One way friends can help you change for the better is by providing good examples. Maybe your best friend’s recent decision to give up smoking inspires you to quit, too.

Your friends might also support your choices by making changes with you. If you want to join a gym or start running, for example, having an exercise buddy can encourage you to stick with it until it becomes part of your routine.

No matter what else they do, they’ll probably cheer you on. This encouragement can boost your self-confidence, increasing your chances of success with your goals.

Can give sense of belonging

We all want to know we matter to others that our life has purpose. In fact, belonging needs come in third on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, just after basic needs (think food and shelter) and safety needs.

Developing and maintaining close friendships helps foster feelings of belonging.

Caring about others makes life more meaningful. When you care for others, you take on the responsibility of offering compassion and emotional support. This can make you a stronger, better person.

At the same time, knowing you have a support network can help you feel more secure in your own life.

Even when your friends are scattered over several cities, states, or even countries, you still have those connections to trusted friends who have your back.

On the other hand: Holy Quran guides; Al-Furqan (The Criterion) 25:28

يَا وَيْلَتَى لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا

Oh, woe is me! Would that I had not taken so-and-so for a friend!