Today, we’re talking about friendships, social circles — things of that nature. We often talk about wellness from a physical and mental perspective, but social health is such an important yet often overlooked pillar of our entire well-being.

Being more considered about the company we keep is something we talked about in our latest video; so before we begin, make sure you don’t miss it. And if you enjoyed the video, do us a favor and drop a like or leave a comment. Every small bit makes a big difference for the channel, so we would really appreciate it!

Our thoughts on friendships and social health was also partly prompted by this viewer’s comment from a few months ago:

It’s pretty clear we’re not the only ones who feel like our social circle is shrinking. Our population (men in particular) seem to be going through something that has been coined “friendship recession”. And this friendship recession would have no doubt been catalyzed by the pandemic we experienced in the last few years.

How Many Friends Do You Have?

The Dunbar’s Number is one of the more recognized theories in the study of social circles. It suggests the limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain meaningful relationships is around 150 — in other words, there are around “150 people, at most, that you would not feel embarrassed about joining uninvited for a drink if you happened to bump into them”.

Although we must say 150 does sound like an awfully large number in our opinion 😅 we can’t imagine being comfortable joining uninvited for a drink, with the exception of a handful of people. But then again, we’re pretty textbook introverts.

The theory also places friendships into different layers, including closest friends, good friends and friends – these categories make up the so-called 150 meaningful relationships. We actually did a little exercise and “counted” the number of friends we had, and how they would theoretically fit into Dunbar’s framework. It was quite an interesting experience that may open up new perspectives to your social health.

We found that even if we combined both of our social circles, we would still be nowhere near the suggested limit of 150 meaningful relationships 😅 Guess we still have plenty of capacity to make new connections! But like we mentioned in our response above to the commenter, we definitely value quality over quantity when it comes to friendships.

Decluttering Friendships/Relationships?

Over the years, as we strive to focus on our well-being, we find ourselves reflecting on a number of questions. One such question is “are we happy with the company we’re keeping?”

Life happens — people grow up, and sometimes people grow apart.

It’s never easy, but do consider asking yourself “Are you happy with the company you’re keeping?” from time to time. Nostalgia alone isn’t enough to keep some friendships alive. If someone isn’t giving your time and attention the respect they deserve, it probably wouldn’t hurt them as much as you would think if you were to move on. In fact, it would probably hurt you more, but it would be worth it in the long run if it improves your social health. You deserve better than that!