Having Too Many Friends Might Have a Negative Impact on Your Mental Health, According to Experts

A good friend stands by your side when you are dealing with a tough life circumstance. According to experts, having too many friends might be harmful to your mental health — there is a link involving anxiety and depression. Having one solid and trustworthy friend who believes in, and shares your goals and beliefs, is considerably better than being surrounded by people you don’t actually need.

Bright Side has compiled a list of reasons why experts recommend prioritizing quality over quantity when it comes to friendship.

1. You have less time for yourself.

The issue with having a large number of friends is that it lacks one critical aspect: balance. Finding time to engage with your friends might be difficult with everyone’s hectic schedules. If you’re more concerned with pleasing them or rearranging your agenda to accommodate them, your friendship may become emotionally or physically draining, and you end up letting yourself go.

Creating a life separate from your friends is an important part of personal growth. When you have very few acquaintances, it will be easier for you to define your priorities. As a result, you’ll focus more on your own development. Those who love you will respect your boundaries when it comes to spending time alone.

2. You’ll be constantly pressured to meet others’ expectations.

Stress and expectations may arise from several factors, typically from people who might cause tension and anxiety. To be acknowledged as a “friend”, most people expect you to be there in their everyday life, whether through meetups, phone calls, or text messages. Many of them, though, eventually lose interest in maintaining their connection.

Friendship entails some inherent duties and expectations. People who have a lot of friends, in particular, may find it challenging to keep up with their responsibilities. Maintaining a group of friends waters down your valuable social resources, making you less able to be a good friend.

3. You feel lonely most of the time.

If you believe you have a lot of friends in your life, you probably just have too many acquaintances, and that just sets you up for loneliness. Loneliness isn’t necessarily an outcome of being alone, but it’s more often an outcome of being surrounded by people who you don’t spend so-called “quality time” with. Regardless of how close your friends are to you or how much they care about you, they may not always comprehend what you’re going through.

When it comes to long-term friendships, it is critical to set boundaries. By accepting them, we accomplish 2 goals: we get rid of people we don’t need and we stop feeling lonely. As a result, your remaining friends are just as loyal to you as you are to them.

4. You may bump into fake friendships.

There is no friendship worth putting your mental well-being on the line for. However, it is critical to safeguard your emotional health. Establishing who the people in your inner circle are is crucial to slim down your list of real friends. Those you believed were your friends may, however, turn out to be your “frenemies.”

This type of friend may appear to want you to succeed on the surface, but in truth, they will talk about you and be envious of your accomplishments behind your back.
Many individuals can turn out to be frenemies — the more individuals you engage with, the better the odds are that they will be fake friends.

5. Not all of them know you in-depth.

Knowing many people can be helpful and trusted acquaintances are important. However, you don’t have to be friends just because you get along with someone. Friends make you a better person. They assist you in your own development, and you assist them in the same manner. It’s an unspoken mutual agreement that you both share and fully comprehend.

Analyze your life to see who truly knows you, someone who is aware of your weaknesses and strengths. Friends represent a shoulder to cry on, but if they only know a few aspects of us, like just our sense of humor, they can never stand by our side. Maintaining many friendships can be difficult. People will drift away from your life over time, but that’s okay.

Have you ever felt like this in certain situations? How many friends do you have?