Friendship remains key to survival (as even these zebras know)

On the long list of things we took for granted before the lockdown, friendship looms large. Even when we still could, there was always a reason not to cross the street for a proper chat or to grab that pint. But historically, one group is particularly guilty when it comes to underestimating the importance that social connection plays in life: scientists.

As journalist Denworth explains in her lively, accessible look at what makes the universal bond so essential, it was always deemed ‘too squishy’ to be taken seriously by the scientific world. In recent years, that’s started to change, thanks in part to technological developments.

Physiological data from genetic studies and brain scans, for instance, shows that social connection is a hardwired need, critical to our ability to survive and to thrive. Friendships can positively affect sleep and the workings of our cardiovascular system, and as well as having stronger immune systems, more socially integrated people have been shown to live longer.

Denworth considers not just why we have friends, but also why we choose certain people over others. As with most things in life worth having, quality is more important than quantity when it comes to friendship.

Delving ably into neurobiology, sociology and psychology, she enlivens her book’s more technical sections with personal anecdotes, making case studies of her teenage sons. She looks, too, at the way animals behave, because creatures from dolphins to zebras are capable of something that looks a lot like friendship.