People with few friends are the happiest

Have you always wanted a large group of friends but actually only have a handful of people around you that you really care about? Then I have good news for you: people with few friends are often happier than people with a large group of friends. This may seem like a standard case: quality versus quantity, but the feeling of happiness that having a few good friends can give you goes much deeper than that. Friendship coach Danielle Bayard Jackson explains why.

You have more time for yourself
A smaller social circle gives you more time to invest in yourself. When you have fewer friends, you have the chance to experience deep personal growth because you have a lot more me-time. Crucial for people in their roaring twenties and beyond, as you certainly still have a lot to discover about yourself at adulthood. People with few friends have all the time to discover themselves and prioritize their own needs. How wonderful does that sound?

You can pay more attention to the people you love
No need to spend all that extra time on yourself? Then spend your free evenings with the people you truly love. Deep conversations and a strong connection with friends provide a greater sense of happiness than having to maintain superficial relationships. The ability to be there deeply for someone strengthens the trust and durability of friendships. And we humans are simply simple beings: this feeling of trust and love produces endorphins and dopamine, which makes us happy.

Conflicts are easier to resolve one-on-one
Having a few good and deep friendships doesn't mean you always have to agree with each other. Conflicts can also occur in close friendships and are already confusing and complicated enough without the opinions of dozens of different people. In smaller groups, you can often address and resolve conflicts more effectively to work through your conflict quickly.

Investing in friendships leads to lasting happiness
Building a platonic bond takes time. According to Bayard Jackson, it takes 34 hours to turn a stranger into a friend. That's all time we need to schedule in our already full agenda. Yet, making quality friendships is worth it; after all, we prefer to give those 34 hours to someone who will be there for us for years rather than to someone with whom we will always have a superficial friendship because they are simply one of many. Investing in these long-lasting friendships creates a sense of happiness that is spread over all the years of your life, as these are the people we will be with the longest.

Source: Better Female Friendships