friends

Friends are people with mutual affection and voluntary association who are not members of the immediate family. They provide companionship, share interests, and offer emotional and practical support. Friendships vary in closeness and duration, from casual acquaintances to intimate, long-standing bonds, and can form at any stage of life through shared experiences, proximity, and reciprocal trust.

Functions and benefits. Friendships contribute to emotional well-being, resilience, and social development. They offer emotional validation, help regulate stress, encourage healthy behaviors, and provide social capital through advice, information, and networks. Positive friendships are associated with better mental health, higher life satisfaction, and sometimes longer life expectancy, while toxic or unequal friendships can be sources of stress.

Formation and maintenance. Key elements include trust, reciprocal support, effective communication, and shared activities. Regular interaction, empathy, and the willingness to resolve conflicts are important for sustaining ties. Friendships can endure long separations with deliberate contact but may wane without ongoing effort.

Context and variation. Friendships vary across cultures and life stages and may be influenced by gender norms, social settings, and technology. In some cultures, chosen families or close-knit peer groups play central roles. Long-distance and online friendships are increasingly common, offering connection despite geographic separation, though they may lack some facets of in-person interaction.

Limitations and dynamics. Relationships can end through drifting apart, life changes, or betrayals. The study of friendship intersects with psychology, sociology, and health sciences, examining theories such as social support, social exchange, and attachment to understand why people form and maintain friendships and how they affect well-being.