Neuroscience & the Brain
Adolescents show heightened sensitivity to peers because these parts of the brain become more responsive during that stage.
Reward centers
Comparatively, the health risks of chronic loneliness are similar to those of this well-known habit.
Smoking
Satisfaction with friendships around age 50 strongly predicts health and happiness at age this.
80
Friendship requires this, which Denworth warns shouldn’t be postponed until retirement.
Nurturing or effort
Friendship is rooted not just in culture but also in this—reflecting our biology.
Evolution or biology
Babies display this early preference, which shows the social wiring of the human brain from birth.
Preference for faces
According to Denworth, friendship impacts many aspects of our health, even affecting the functioning of this system of the body.
Immune system
While teenagers spend around 30% of their time with friends, adults average just about this percent.
4%
Friendship isn’t considered a cultural “luxury,” but this—a critical factor for well-being.
necessity
This term describes the evolutionary phenomenon where primates with strong social bonds enjoy better survival rates
Survival of the friendliest.
The hormone most often linked to bonding and social connection is this.
Oxytocin
Denworth compared the protective effects of friendship to two key lifestyle factors. Name one.
Diet and exercise
By late adulthood, this type of relationship becomes more important than casual acquaintances for predicting well-being.
Close, high-quality friendships
Denworth emphasizes that strong friendships don’t just happen — they require two key resources. Which are they?
Time and emotional energy
Scientists discovered that social animals with stronger bonds often have this kind of stress response, leading to longer survival.
Lower cortisol response