Good friends are good for your health. Friends can help you celebrate good times and offer support during stressful times. Friends prevent isolation and loneliness and give you the opportunity to provide the required companionship as well. Friends can also:

Increase your sense of belonging and purpose

Boost your happiness and reduce stress

Improve your self-confidence and self-esteem

Help you cope with trauma, such as divorce, serious illness, job loss or the death of a loved one

Encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as drinking too much alcohol or not exercising

Friends also play an important role in promoting your overall health, with adults with strong social relationships at lower risk of many important health problems, including depression, high blood pressure and an unhealthy body mass index (BMI). In fact, studies have found that older adults who have meaningful relationships and social support are more likely to live longer than their peers who have fewer relationships.

Many adults find it difficult to make new friends or maintain existing ones. Friendships may take a back seat for other priorities, such as work, childcare or elderly parents. You and your friends may have been separated by changes in your life or interests. Or maybe you moved to a new community and haven't yet found a way to meet people. Developing and maintaining good friendships requires effort. However, the fun and convenience that friendship can provide makes the investment worthwhile.

Quality is more important than quantity. While it may be a good idea to cultivate a diverse network of friends and acquaintances, you may feel a greater sense of belonging and well-being by nurturing close and meaningful relationships that will support you through thick and thin.

It is possible to make friends with people who are already in your social network. Think of the people you've interacted with — even very casually — who made a positive impression.

You can make new friends and strengthen existing relationships by:

Stay connected with people you've worked with or taken classes with

Reconnect with old friends

Connect with people you enjoyed chatting with at social events

Introduce yourself to neighbors

Make time to communicate with family members

If anyone in your memory comes out as someone you'd like to know better, reach out to them.

Ask mutual friends or acquaintances to share the person's contact information, or – better yet – resubmit you through a text message, email, or personal visit.

Invite you to coffee or lunch.

To meet new people who might become friends, you have to go to places where others gather. Don't limit yourself to one strategy for meeting people. The wider your efforts, the more likely you are to succeed.

Perseverance is also important. Take the initiative instead of waiting for invitations that come your way and keep trying. You may need to suggest plans several times before you can see if your interest in a new friend is mutual.

For example, try several of these ideas:

Wait for community events. Look for groups or clubs that gather around your interests or hobbies. You can find these groups online, or they may be listed in newspapers or on community bulletin boards. There are also many websites that help you connect with new friends in your area or city. Search on Google using terms like [your city] + social network, or [region] + meetings.

Volunteering: Showcase your time or talents at a hospital, place of worship, museum, community center, charity group, or other organization. You can form strong relationships when you work with people who have common interests.

Extend and accept invitations. Invite a friend to join you for coffee or lunch. When you're invited to a social gathering, say yes. Call and respond to the person who recently invited you to an activity.

Take on new attention. Take a college or community course to meet people with similar interests. Join a class at your local gym, senior center, or community fitness facility.

To meet new people who might become friends, you have to go to places where others gather. Don't limit yourself to one strategy for meeting people. The wider your efforts, the more likely you are to succeed.

Perseverance is also important. Take the initiative instead of waiting for invitations that come your way and keep trying. You may need to suggest plans several times before you can see if your interest in a new friend is mutual.

For example, try several of these ideas:

Wait for community events. Look for groups or clubs that gather around your interests or hobbies. You can find these groups online, or they may be listed in newspapers or on community bulletin boards. There are also many websites that help you connect with new friends in your area or city. Search on Google using terms like [your city] + social network, or [region] + meetings.

Volunteering: Showcase your time or talents at a hospital, place of worship, museum, community center, charity group, or other organization. You can form strong relationships when you work with people who have common interests.

Extend and accept invitations. Invite a friend to join you for coffee or lunch. When you're invited to a social gathering, say yes. Call and respond to the person who recently invited you to an activity.

Take on new attention. Take a college or community course to meet people with similar interests. Join a class at your local gym, senior center, or community fitness facility.

Joining a chat group or online community may help you create or maintain connections and ease loneliness. However, research suggests that the use of social networking sites does not necessarily translate into a larger offline network or closer offline relationships with network members. In addition, remember to be cautious when sharing personal information or arranging an activity with someone you have met online.

Developing and maintaining healthy friendships involves giving and taking. Sometimes you're the one providing support, and other times you're the recipient. Letting your friends know that you care about and appreciate them can help strengthen the bond between you. It is as important to you to be a good friend as it is to surround yourself with good friends. To strengthen your friendships:

Be kind. This basic behavior remains the core of successful relationships. Think of friendship as an emotional bank account. Every good deed and every gratitude are deposited in this account, while criticism and negativity withdraw the account.

Be a good listener. Ask what is happening in the lives of your friends. Let the other person know that you pay close attention to them through eye contact, body language, and occasional brief comments like "this sounds fun." When friends share details of difficult times or difficult experiences, be empathetic, but only give advice if your friends ask you to.

Build intimacy with your friends by opening up to yourself. Your willingness to reveal your personal experiences and interests shows that your friend holds a special place in your life, and this can deepen your connection.

Show that you can be trusted. Being responsible, reliable, and dependable is the key to making strong friends. Keep your commitments and arrive on time. Follow up on the commitments you made to your friends. When your friends share confidential information, keep it private.

Make yourself available. Building a close friendship takes time — together. Make an effort to see new friends regularly, and connect with them between meetings. You may feel embarrassed the first few times you talk on the phone or get together, but that feeling is likely to go away when you feel more comfortable with each other.

Control your temper vigilantly. You may find yourself imagining the worst social situations, and you may feel like staying at home. Use mindfulness exercises to reshape your thinking. Every time you imagine the worst, pay attention to how often the embarrassing situations you fear are actually happening are repeated. You may notice that the scenarios you fear don't usually happen. When embarrassing situations occur, remind yourself that your feelings will pass, and you can deal with them until they are over. Yoga and other mind-body relaxation practices can also reduce anxiety and help you cope with situations that make you feel stressed.

Remember that it is never too late to develop new friendships or reconnect with old friends. Investing time in making friends and strengthening your friendships can pay off with better health and a brighter outlook for years to come.