I interact with my friends daily. We exchange texts, share links, and like each other’s posts. Some friends will even pick up the phone to call or video chat. It’s easy to spend time together this way. There’s no planning or commute required. Each one of us can fit in these interactions around our schedules and no one needs to be wearing pants. Nowadays, it’s normal to fall into the routine of virtual friendships. It’s so accessible! But then days turn to weeks, or even months, and it’s hard to recall the last time you spent face-to-face time with a friend. Not a friendly acquaintance, coworker, or local barista – a friend.
The routine needs to be shaken up. In-person friendships are incredibly important for us to pursue. Here are a few of the reasons why.
Mental Health
Spending time with our friends makes our brains happier. We’re talking less stress, more joy, and improved life satisfaction. Our brains thrive on being around those we consider our buddies; something about us having evolved as intensely social creatures. Those that keep close with their friends are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, and are far more likely to report feeling happy with their lives.
This benefit carries far. Maintaining your friendships can prevent mental decline as you age. Studies have shown that those engaging with friendships had better memory and overall cognitive functioning even in their later years. The strong support system you build for each other over time doesn’t hurt, either.
Physical Health
Being social with our friends can be as good for our bodies’ physical health as exercise. People with higher quality friendships have been shown to have lower likelihood of many medical conditions such as impaired immune function, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and cancer. Strong social relationships can even contribute to a generally longer lifespan.
Plus, being healthy can be so much easier with friends. Going swimming, dancing, hiking, or walking together can be much more fun for a couch potato than having to keep active on their own. And going out to meet a friend is a great way for us homebodies to get some of that Vitamin Sunshine and fresh air.
Life Opportunities
When did you ever stumble into a cool happenstance while staying alone at home? Life has a fun way of opening doors and new avenues for us, but it requires us to reach out to it first. Spending time with friends is the perfect vehicle for that kind of serendipity. You have the familiar safety of your group to go try out everything new.
Go out with your friends for dinner – now you have a new favorite curry joint. Have a friend come with you to an exercise class – now you know that you were born to be a yoga pretzel. Heck, have a friend bring another friend with them when you go for a walk around the block – now you have a new friend. And who knows, maybe they will introduce you to your next job, partner, or life experience that you would have otherwise never stumbled upon.
Social Skills
As much as learning to write emails or engaging captions can be a useful skill, there are so many facets of in-person interaction that don’t get practiced online. Tone, body language, facial expressions, volume control, timing… all the small things that might come naturally to most. Not socializing for a while, however, can leave even the suavest of us feeling rusty.
Just like any other skill, social skills grow with use and practice, and stagnate without. Those simple face-to-face interactions with your pals? Those will come in handy when you have to speak to someone far less receptive, like a disgruntled manager or contentious neighbor.
And then you can go tell your friends about those interactions. You’ll probably get a few good groans! Maybe some good GIFs if you share the news with them online. Just don’t let that become your only avenue of communication. Studies have shown that social media use does not necessarily help us feel more connected, and that more screen time means less time to be social face-to-face.
Don’t have that in-person time with friends become a luxury or a “when I have time” thing. Be kind to yourself and make it a necessity. Because it is – to your whole wellbeing. Find your pals, schedule them into your life, and know that you are taking care of each other just by that act.
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