friendships

Friendships are voluntary, reciprocal relationships between people who share affection, trust, and mutual support. They differ from casual acquaintances and family ties, though boundaries can blur. Healthy friendships are sustained by ongoing care and mutual investment rather than obligation.

Core features include reliability, open communication, respect, and a sense of shared understanding. Friends offer emotional support, practical help, honest feedback, and companionship. Trust, confidentiality, and loyalty—balanced with healthy boundaries—are common expectations across friendships.

Friendships form through repeated interactions, shared activities, and perceived similarity or closeness. They can arise in childhood, school, work, and online communities. Proximity and consistent contact help deepen bonds, while vulnerability in conversations strengthens intimacy.

Functions and outcomes: friendships provide emotional resilience, reduce loneliness, and promote social integration. They are associated with better mental health and, in some studies, improved physical health, though causality is complex and bidirectional.

Cultural and life-course variation shapes friendships. Norms about closeness, gendered expectations, and the importance placed on friendship differ by culture. Relationships often change with life events such as moving, parenthood, and retirement.

Challenges include conflicts, drift, and breaches of trust. Distance, busy schedules, or incompatible interests can weaken ties. Online friendships can provide connection but may differ in depth from in-person relationships.

Types of friendships include intimate or best friends, close friends, casual friends, and professional or workplace friendships.

Maintaining friendships requires time, active listening, empathy, clear boundaries, and constructive conflict resolution to sustain long-term ties.