And if yes or no, then why?
My parents, even though they are past the age when they feel the utmost need and importance in that stuff themselves, believe that even at the age of 31, how old I am today, I need to have friends and later family and good job and whatnot, but friends is indeed important.
Do you agree?
Thanks.
A very small amount of good friends is desirable but not a necessity.
It depends on your personality,whether you're happy in your own company,if you like socialising,are outgoing or introverted and so on.
I think social media has made people insecure about the amount of friends they have, unfairly so.Who has time for 100's of friends let alone 1000's!
As my sister recently (and correctly) put it: The quality of friendships is more important than quantity.
It's important for a teenager, however, to have a large crowd of friends, at least in part, as protection from bullying, either verbal or physical. I only had one friend as a teenager, which is part of what made me a perfect target for kids who were prone to bullying. Although I was never beat up physically, it hurt, nonetheless.
it's important to have friends and real human connection that is not intermediated by technology...
not just that it is crucial for your mental health and for your development as an individual, but it is also a key part of life and being human to live more fully... it is worthwhile, in and of itself...
It depends on your personality. I am a bit of a loner, so I don't need friends I interact a lot with. The people I work with fill that role sufficiently....as does a spouse and children in time.
For other people they literally have to have someone to interact with or they get depressed.
I think a good small group of real friends is probably best for most people.
[deleted]
For me there are different types of friends.
People you know, hang out with, party with, go to dinner with etc....
Then the people who are the friends who you talk almost everyday, are very close to, you share
your most intimate details of your life with.
I was telling somebody earlier that if we go through life and have 1 or 2 close true friends we are fortunate.
I've had 7 good friends in my life. They are all no longer here.
I've had 1 true, good, close friend. I had known his since were babies. Our parents went to school together.
We literally grew up together. He is no longer here.
Do I miss all of them? Of course I do but I find fulfillment in life in different ways.
I don't look to others for fulfillment in my life.
As far as just my "regular" friends I see them and we always have fun when together.
If I never saw any of them again I would be fine in my life.
I'm going to echo LordBishop above and say it depends on your personality. With regard to mental health and life happiness: If you're a strong introvert--especially if you have autism spectrum tendencies--you may be better off minimizing time with people. Friends tend to demand face-to-face time and this could undermine your happiness. If, however you're an extrovert or simply enjoy the validation of someone else's warm regard, then you'll be happier having friends and family. On average, people do better having friends and family, but you can't devise a good plan for your own happiness simply by replicating what works for the "average" person. Do you enjoy people's company?
As for having a job, well, you don't have to have employment *specifically* to be happy if you're financially independent, but personal happiness is correlated with having meaningful activities in your daily life. Engaging in tasks that require some concentration and effort and which result in something you value will typically produce happiness. No one but you can know whether your activity should be cultivating bonsai, writing epic poems, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or devising a corporate take-over. What makes you feel valuable and productive?
Your parents may be concerned about what could happen to you as you age and your health deteriorates. It's true that living alone makes you more vulnerable to going without help in the event of a fall or a delirium-inducing illness, but depending on where you live there could be plentiful resources to support you as you age. I would definitely not suggest trying to live alone as an elderly person in a country setting. If you're okay with the notion of living in a city in your elder years and having strangers come in and check on your well-being regularly, you should be okay without friends and family.
You probably instinctively know your needs better than your parents do. Does the happiest life you can imagine include friends and family?
People need to connect with other people. People at
work are not the same as people who are in your personal life. There are corporate and professional boundaries and rules that govern and, frankly, inhibit, workplace relationships; perhaps for the better, but constrain, nonetheless. Real-world friendships have different, and much wider, guidelines. They are set, and adjudicated, by the two people who are in the social relationship, no matter how intimate, or not, that relationship is. No one can have too many friends. If you are someone who has power of any kind, e.g., Donald Trump, and you lose that power, I fucking PROMISE you that you will learn who your real friends are, if any. Real friends, those who love us for who we are and not for what (President? Movie Star? Wealthy?) we are are priceless, and are so necessary that they should be included in Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
Friends are a good thing.
😎