A Friend Group – What It Is and Why Every Woman Needs One
How to Make Friends as an Adult | By: Katie Lister
April 21, 2024
What is a friend group? What are the benefits of having a group of friends? Do I need a friends group? How do I create my own friendship group? What are the attributes of a healthy group of friends? Find all the answers to these and more related questions in this article.
Hi, my name is Katie Lister. I am a practicing Registered Nurse and the founder of Growth Gals. I lead personal development groups and coach women to live their best lives authentically. Growth Gals provides a safe space for women to connect with like-minded individuals, learn, and offer support to one another.
A big part of my work involves creating safe spaces where women feel free to discuss various topics related to everyday issues that affect the everyday lives of women, such as mental health, emotional intelligence, finding your life’s purpose, personal development, and navigating relationships, including friendships.
In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know about friend groups and why every woman needs a healthy group of friends.
Table of Contents
Katie Lister
Written by Katie Lister, RN, BScN. An experienced Registered Nurse, Group Facilitator, Life Coach, and Community Leader. Read Katie's Full Author Bio
What Is a Friends Group?
You have seen it in movies, read it in books, or even seen it on social media or in real life: a clique of young people in high school or adulthood who are close friends and belong to the same friend group and even have a private group chat. These individual friends get together often and never grow tired of each other. While they may be involved in the occasional friendship drama, they always find their way back to each other, and the bond seems stronger than ever.
A group of friends can be defined as a group of people with shared interests who are all best friends. When people think about best friends, they ideally picture just two people as part of a ‘best friends’ friendship. However, having more than one best friend is normal, as is common in a friend group.
A group of friends normally comprises peers. These are a bunch of people who may or may not share social characteristics, class, social life, occupation, or education and interact on an equal level. A friend’s social circle is a close friendship that can have a profound influence on one’s well-being, identity, and decisions. Just like romantic relationships, friendships are built on the same core foundations: mutual respect, social support, boundaries, reciprocity, and trust. Without these things, a friend group cannot thrive or last.
The Benefits of Having a Friends Group
Humans are not designed to go through life alone. From the Stone Age, humans existed in groups comprising families and communities. Friendships are a fundamental part of the human experience and have a strong impact on an individual’s physical and psychological health. Science has proven that having a bff or a few closest friends is necessary for your physical and mental health, even for introverts.
Best friend groups comprise individuals who differ from each other in terms of perspectives, race, culture, and even lifestyle. A diverse group of friends helps you see life from different perspectives and understand different ways of living while enhancing personal growth.
‘I have no friends. What can I do about it?’ Find the answers here.
A group of friends promotes a sense of belonging
Regardless of what brings you together as a friend group, being part of a knit circle of friends gives you a sense of belonging by being included. When you have a sense of belonging, you ultimately fulfill a critical emotional health need, which decreases your chances of developing mental health issues such as depression, loneliness and hopelessness.
Friends boost your self esteem
A study was done to show the correlation between self-esteem and positive relationships and found that these two go hand in hand.
Having a solid group of friends can be an excellent way of boosting your self-esteem. Your friends are your cheerleaders and support system whenever you need it. It is important to have people in your life with whom you can share your highs and lows and who are genuinely happy for you whenever you win.
Good friends are stress relievers
As an adult woman going through life, you will encounter stress, whether it is from work, your romantic relationship or other relationships. Having a reliable group of friends who you can open up to and trust that they will give solid advice is excellent for relieving stress. Friends are the people who stand by your side when you go through the most challenging seasons in your life. Unloading some of the stress on a close friend is ideal for relieving some of your stress.
Friendships can protect your cognitive health
Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between friendship and cognitive health. According to this study, people with large social networks, regardless of age, enjoy better cognitive function than their lonely peers. Having a group of friends with whom you can enjoy good conversations and enjoy spending time together is an ideal way of protecting the health of your brain.
Friends can help you deal with grief better
Grief is inevitable in life, and one of the worst things one can experience is having to navigate it alone. Having a group of friends that you trust can make going through grief feel less lonely. Whether you just lost a job, a close family member, a friend, or a pet, knowing there are people you can lean on during this difficult time can have a profound impact on your life.
Strong friendships help you live longer
Apart from supporting your mental health, having friends in your life can also boost your longevity. Another study found that having friends in your life can increase your likelihood of survival by up to 50%. People who are more socially integrated enjoy better health, which boosts longevity.
Attributes of A Good Friend Group
As mentioned, friendships should be built on core values like honesty and trust to thrive. Other essential aspects of a friends group include:
Integrity
Integrity is the ability to be completely honest and have strong moral principles. Traits associated with integrity include:
Trustworthiness: To be a good friend, you need to be trustworthy. This can make or break friendships. A breach of trust, regardless of its magnitude, can quickly end a friend group. Every member of the circle needs to uphold trust.
Honesty: you need your friends to always be honest with you, even when the truth may sting a little.
Dependability: Friends in a group should be able to count on each other for support. As a good friend, you need to show up when you say you will and do what you say you will.
Loyalty: You need friends with whom you can tell anything and everything without feeling judged. You also need friends who will criticize you constructively to make you a better person.
‘I need a friend‘ – If this is something you say to yourself often, this article can help.
Care
Having a caring friendship of women is essential. Common qualities related to care in friendships include:
Empathy: Your friends need to be able to empathize with you and recognize each other’s feelings. This is important, especially when one of you is going through a difficult time.
Zero judgment: This reflects a person’s ease in accepting a friend’s choice, even when they differ in opinion.
Listening skills: Good friends are good listeners. Good listening skills make communication easier among friends. Being able to listen actively can help you better understand your friends’ feelings, experiences, and thoughts.
Congeniality traits
Congeniality is the ability to be agreeable and pleasant, which is also necessary in friendships. The traits associated with congeniality include:
Self-confidence: Your friend groups should be your biggest cheerleaders. You should also possess a level of self-confidence. Being around people with high self-confidence helps to boost your confidence even further.
Fun: your friends should also be fun to be around. These are people you do not mind being around at all times. You should miss your friends whenever you are not together.
A humorous outlook: A good friend should be able to find humor in everyday situations. This is great when dealing with life’s curveballs. Friends with a sense of humor can help relieve stress even when going through difficult situations.
When finding your circle of friends, remember that different people bring different levels of the traits above to the friendship. This helps to make the friendship strong and long-lasting.
How Growth Gals Can Help You Find Your Friend Group
Our aim at Growth Gals is to provide a safe space where women can come together and get the support they need as they navigate different life seasons. We also strive to inspire women to reach their full potential as we create positive change. We support women with the resources to discover their true selves and expand their knowledge base on various issues, such as navigating relationships, including making and keeping lifelong friends.
Growth Gals is an excellent place to begin if you want to make new friends and create your friend group for the first time. You will find fellow women who share your core values and beliefs, a good building block for great friendships here. You can also subscribe to the Growth Gals newsletter to access trending news, resources, and helpful guides for women and learn more about how we can support you.
The Bottom Line
No human is designed to go through life alone. Finding your friend group has been proven to be good for your overall well-being. All you can ask for from your friends is that they are loving, honest, and supportive. With this article, you now know why you need a friend group and what to look for in friends.
