Lasting friendship: 5 tips to keep friends
The friends they are the expression of the development of our social facet as a human being. The University of Caldas in Colombia defines friendship as "one of the most important interpersonal relationships since it has the human being that can generate feelings of acceptance". The University of Birminghan Young, in the United States, goes much further and qualifies the friendship as a "healthy drug" that can lengthen life and improve its quality.
This statement is part of the findings of a study on the importance of friendship, carried out by the University of Birminghan Younga. It also ensures that not having a group of friends can be as serious as alcoholism or tobacco addiction, and may even be more harmful to health than leading a sedentary lifestyle. In short, friendship has, according to this study, an important connection with mortality.
Precisely, on July 30 is celebrated the International Friendship Day. A day to remember the importance of friends, and that are essential in our life. As the saying goes: "Whoever has a friend has a treasure."
Why is it important to have friends?
In addition, having friends has beneficial effects on a psychological level. For example, it improves self-esteem by feeling integrated into a group where we can see that our particularities like other people. Having friends helps to overcome loneliness and to feel understood, since having another person to share our problems and vent when necessary, is essential to have emotional support.
5 tips to keep friends
It is also necessary to take care of these ties of friendship so that this affective bond is not damaged and unbreakable. Here are some tips to take care of your friends and never break this friendship:
1. A call never hurts. Do not wait for the phone to ring, dare to call them and suggest plans. A proactive mentality is very helpful to take care of friendships.
2. Always attentive. As we have said, a friend supposes a strong emotional support. For this reason, we must also be so for the members of this group, if we notice that a partner has problems, it is important to let him know that we are there.
3. Patience. Nobody is perfect and as with our partner, if we accept a person as a friend we do it understanding that it has virtues and defects. Do not get upset if at some point you do something that bothers you, sure a thousand more you like.
4. Generosity and understanding. You do not always have to make the plans that you like. If at any time the group opts for an activity that does not convince you, adapt and find reasons to have fun despite everything. Next time it will be up to you to choose.
5. Confidentiality. Being an emotional support, it is not surprising that a friend becomes a bank where the other person deposits the secrets. However, no one likes to reveal their intimacies, so respect the decision to keep this out of reach of other ears.
Damián Montero
