A major global study has found that fulfilling friendships and close social relationships are strongly associated with better physical and mental health. Published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Mental Health, the research analysed data from more than 200,000 adults and found that people who were more satisfied with their friendships and relationships tended to report better overall health and well-being.
The study, led by Dr Veli Durmuş of Kütahya Health Sciences University in Türkiye, included 204,907 adults aged 18 and older across 22 countries. Participants came from culturally and geographically diverse countries, including the UK, US, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain, India, Japan, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Mexico, making it one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind.
Using data from the Global Flourishing Study, researchers examined participants’ satisfaction with their friendships and close relationships, as well as the quality of their childhood relationships with their mothers and fathers. Participants also rated their current mental and physical health, while researchers considered other factors including income and education.
The results showed a clear pattern: people who reported greater satisfaction with their friendships and close relationships were also more likely to report better mental and physical health. Positive childhood relationships with parents were similarly associated with better health and well-being in adulthood, although this association was weaker than that observed for current friendships and relationships.
Dr Durmuş says the findings highlight the importance of social connections throughout life. While early family relationships may contribute to later well-being, people’s social environments continue to evolve. Friendships, partnerships and other meaningful relationships developed in adulthood may strengthen or modify the influence of childhood experiences and provide important sources of emotional and social support.
Previous research suggests that strong relationships can help protect people against stress, support self-esteem and help individuals manage their emotions positively. The new findings provide broader international evidence that the quality of social relationships is closely connected with health across different cultures. However, some differences were observed by age and country. Mental health scores were lower among people in their mid-thirties to late forties than among those aged 18 to 34, while scores were higher among adults aged 65 and older. Friendship and relationship satisfaction were highest in Indonesia and lowest in Japan.
Other social and demographic factors were also associated with health. Being married, having sufficient financial resources and identifying with a religion were linked with better mental and physical health scores. Overall, the findings suggest that strong social relationships may represent a “universal pillar” of well-being across diverse cultural and national settings.
Dr Durmuş argues that policymakers should recognise social relationships as an important component of public health and incorporate social connection into health promotion and prevention strategies. However, the study cannot establish cause and effect. Because the findings are based on self-reported information collected at one point in time, they reflect participants’ subjective perceptions of their relationships and health rather than proving that stronger friendships directly cause better health.
More information: Veli Durmuş, Do social and family relationships affect self-rated mental and physical health? Evidence from nationally representative samples across 22 countries, Journal of Mental Health. DOI: 10.1080/09638237.2026.2695973
Journal information: Journal of Mental Health Provided by Taylor & Francis Group
