Unique Ways in Which the Quality of Friendships Matter for Life Satisfaction

Department(s)

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2022

Keywords

Friendship, Life satisfaction, Relationships, Well-being

Abstract

The quality of individuals’ social relationships consistently predicts greater well-being. But little is known about the relative importance of different relationship types for life satisfaction, including the relative importance of friendships compared to other types of relationships. Some have theorized that one intimate relationship is all you need. However, romantic partners, family, and friends may contribute uniquely or interactively to well-being. The current study assessed life satisfaction and relationship satisfaction in survey data collected from a large, diverse sample of respondents. Satisfaction with each type of relationship was significantly and independently associated with life satisfaction, over and above other variables in the model. Friendship (not family) interacted with intimate relationships: when respondents were highly satisfied with their intimate relationships, they were happy with their lives regardless of friendship quality. But when they were unhappy with their intimate relationships, they were only happy with their lives if they had good friends.

Publication Title

Journal of Happiness Studies

ISSN

13894978

E-ISSN

15737780

DOI

10.1007/s10902-022-00502-9

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