Security

3.) For your own security

According to some researchers' findings, there is one time in particular when friendship is oftentimes more important than at any other time in one's life, that being somewhere between the end of early childhood and the beginning of full adulthood.

At that stage friendships can be more intense during that time period as compared to friendship that develop later on in life. I can agree with that research to some extent especially when you think about teenagers for one instance. Friendships at that time can literally be a life or death matter and it is written that friendships play a key role in suicidal thoughts especially amongst girls or drug intake in the case of guys.

For some people making friends is challenging, for others the challenge is in keeping that friendship going and still for others having no friends at all is possibly the most challenging scenario. One study from the American Sociological Review stated that a staggering twenty five percent of Americans admit to having no close confidants and that the average number of confidants per person who has some has dropped from four to only two.

For your own security

Friendships can provide a number of beneficial things one of which is security. In the same way we install home security systems to guard as from burglar, forming good friendships can provide a safe haven where one can feel secure knowing they can trust their friend to listen, be supportive, hold information in utmost confidence, be there as a shoulder to cry on and just to give a sense of relief that they are not alone in this world and that someone really does care about them and tries to understand them.

Sometimes just really knowing that a friend does indeed care can provide much needed feelings of security and can take some of the feelings of loneliness away. That is certainly not to imply that anyone should rely on someone else to "complete them" but rather to be able to enjoy their companionship and comfort through life's many ups and downs.

Is it a good idea to rely on friends for our own security and safety?