Who needs friends? According to mos

Who needs friends? According to most psychologists we all do, particularly nowadays when so many other aspects of modern life are changing. It seems that having friends keeps us both healthy and happy.

The number of television series about groups of friends shows just how vital friendship is to us. Psychologist Dorothy Rowe says that many of us now turn to our friends, instead of our families, for advice, comfort and security. One woman she interviewed even told her that if she had to choose between her husband and her friend, she would choose her friend.

Since our friends mean so much to us, it is not surprising that the happiest marriages are also friendships. ‘Once the romantic stage of a relationship has passed, it is friendship that holds people together.’ says Rowe. If the couple do not make the transition, they will either split up or stay together and seek friendship with others.

But is friendship equally important to women and men? According to author Rhonda Pritchard, women are more likely than men to have close friends. ‘You tell a friend things that you’d never tell a partner,’ says one woman she interviewed. ‘Friends just accept you as you are.’

For men, friendship is usually based on doing things together rather than the intimate conversations that are typical of women friends. Men share time and activities like building a fence or a business, running, riding a bike, fishing or watching football, but they don’t often share feelings.

Whereas many women find their relationships with a husband or boyfriend is not enough, many men say that their partner is their best friend. Even women who are very happily married are likely to become depressed without a close friend and can even find the break up of an intimate relationship as painful as the end of a marriage.

People often say that there have been times when a close friend has not only saved their sanity but their lives. There is, in fact, more and more evidence that having friends protects us against illness and depression. The uninhibited laughter that is typical of many friendships reduces the effects of stress and helps the immune system work properly.