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For all the youngsters grappling with the stress of work, finances, and relationships – having good friends is the ultimate source of happiness and mental well-being. According to a new study, friends at your younger age can give you the emotional support you need to have a fulfilling life.
The study, published in the journal PLOS One, said friendships in your 20s can be more meaningful if you are unattached. “The quality of your friendships is a key factor for your well-being, especially if you’re single,” said Dr. Lisa Walsh, a research associate at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"We found that singles who were satisfied with their friendships tended to be happy with their lives, while those dissatisfied with their friendships were less happy," they added in a journal news release.
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Why are youngsters unhappy?
According to researchers, Americans in their early 20s are less happy than at other times of life – and a growing percentage of that age group are not in long-term relationships. Experts believe it happens mostly because youngsters are stressed over establishing their jobs or businesses, trying to balance their finances and even struggling with family life.
While researchers said they are increasingly looking at single folks as a group, few studies have zeroed in on sub-groups – like younger adults. The University of California-conducted study has analyzed responses to a survey of nearly 1,000 single adults aged between 18 and 24 years.
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They were asked about their overall happiness as well as five factors that predict happiness:
- Self-esteem
- Neuroticism
- Outgoingness
- Satisfaction with family
- Satisfaction with friends
Study based on latent profile analysis
According to the study, built on latent profile analysis — a statistical technique that identifies subgroups within a population based on a set of variables, found that differences among the young, single adults were way too many.
The five categories corresponded to different levels of happiness — from most happy to least. Most happy youngsters are the least neurotic.
The study results revealed that those who were the happiest ones were the least neurotic and most satisfied with their friendships. However, the least happy ones also had poor scores on all other predictors. "Higher scores on some of the five predictors appeared to offset lower scores on others, with friendship satisfaction being particularly strongly linked to participants' happiness," the researchers wrote.
Based on these findings, they suggest that young, single adults make it a priority to forge meaningful, long-term friendships. The researchers have also added that there is a need to understand the cause-and-effect relationship between the five predictors and happiness.
Gen Z faces unique social, and emotional challenges
According to statistics, nearly 41 percent of Americans aged 18–29 years are single. Experts say given the increasing numbers of single young adults, understanding their unique social and emotional needs is essential.
Gen Z faces additional challenges brought on by social media which include online dating, peer pressure, and so on; and single people have unique problems linked to living in a society set up for couples and families.