“With age, the social circle is tightening but also strengthens,” according to mental health researcher.
Even the most timid must resolve it: having friends is beneficial on many plans. Friendship reduces isolation, the risk of depression, improves cognitive functioning and contributes to longevity. For example, colleagues disappear from everyday life. Friends then become an essential source of link, shared activities and emotional support. “”With age, the social circle is tightening but strengthening. As they get older, people become more selective in their relationships: they are looking for deeper, sincere and reciprocal ties. Cis the quality, not the quantity, which counts“Observes Alexandra Thompson, mental health researcher at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom. And that’s a very good thing.
According to her, there is a “magic number” of friends to have to achieve global psychological well-being, without stress or anxiety. To determine it, the researcher asked 350 adults aged 65 and over (40% men, 60% women) to answer an online questionnaire. To be eligible for study, participants should not suffer from mental illness or chronic anxiety disorders.
The levels of loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress were at its lowest when people declared that they had 4 close friends (we hear by “close friend” someone on whom we can count if necessary and with whom we share personal experiences and regular and stable contacts in time). Beyond this threshold, the addition of additional friends did not provide significant benefits for psychological well-being. “”It is encouraging to note that the threshold of the number of close friends seems relatively lowobserve the researcher. Given that in average, the group of contacts closest to a person, includes around five members according to science, it is possible that many elderly people have already reached this threshold, or approach it“.
If making friends becomes more intimidating with age, it is quite possible. It is often enough to participate in activities that you like – such as a reading club, a creative workshop or a sports class – and go there with curiosity, openness and regularity. The simple fact of sharing a common interest naturally creates opportunities to exchange and to forge links.
