Why Female Friends Help You Live Longer

Surrounding ourselves with female pals is the key to a happier and healthier life, according to a new study…

- Mishaal Khan, Shona Sibary

The importance of friendship has never been more obvious than it has in the last year. Not being able to socialise and only seeing our friends on video calls has naturally made a lot of us realise just how much we miss our friends when we’re not with them.

And it seems that female friendships in particular play a significant role in our lives. A new report reveals that they can be the key to happiness for older women and that we must socialise to improve our feelings of positivity and mental wellbeing. But while many of us may have an abundance of friends on social media, experts believe that, actually, having just three to five good friends who know you really well is the ideal situation.

Our friends are the ones we turn to for advice, brutal honesty and for some fun. But friendship is a two-way street, and if there isn’t a mutual give-and-take, it can take its toll over time. Culling our social circles can feel ruthless, but as research shows, when it comes to friendship, it’s quality over quantity and who we surround ourselves with is much more important than we realise. One writer tells Woman, why having a ‘declutter’ of friendships was essential for her own happiness and sense of wellbeing…

Writer Shona Sibary, 49, is married to Keith, 53, and lives in Chichester with their four children, Flo, 22, Annie, 20, Monty, 18, and Dolly, 11.

As I was planning my 50th birthday last week it occurred to me that all the COVID restrictions currently in place actually work perfectly in my favour. No big party for me with dozens of people I haven’t seen or spoken to in yonks.