Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. Friendship is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an association. Friendship includes fields such as communications, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, and philosophy.
Although there are many forms of friendship, some of which may vary from place to place, certain characteristics are present in many types of bonds. Such characteristics include affection; kindness; love; virtue; sympathy; empathy; honesty; mutual understanding and compassion; enjoyment of each other's company; trust; and the ability to be oneself, express one's feelings, and make mistakes without fear of judgment from the friend.
Friendship in adulthood provides companionship, affection, as well as emotional support, and contributes positively to mental well-being and improved physical health.
Adults may find it particularly difficult to maintain meaningful friendships in the workplace. Work friendships often take on a transactional feel; it is difficult to say where networking ends and real friendship begins, Most adults value the financial security of their jobs more than friendship with coworkers.
The majority of adults have an average of two close friends. Numerous studies with adults suggest that friendships and other supportive relationships do enhance self-esteem.
Friendship is also found among animals of higher intelligence, such as higher mammals and some birds. Cross-species friendships are common between humans and domestic animals. Cross-species friendships may also occur between two non-human animals, such as dogs and cats.
People with close friendships are happier, although having all the friends in the world has been proven not to increase one's happiness. Having few friends is associated with dropping out of school, as well as aggression, and adult crime, while higher levels of friendship are associated with higher adult self-esteem.
The World Benevolent Council has been developing benevolent benefits for some time in order to be a friend to its members, so they may have a helping hand with their struggles in life.