Thank you for listening and supporting This Might Help

On today's show, we discuss friendship and why friends are so important for our mental health and well-being. We also chat about how to deepen existing friendships and ways to make new friends at any age!

You can find us on socials @thismighthelppodcast - ⁠Instagram⁠

The full video version of this episode is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@thismighthelppodcast

Some of the key research we chat about can be found below:

Alsarrani, A., Hunter, R., Dunne, L., & Garcia, L. (2022). Association between friendship quality and subjective wellbeing among adolescents: a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14776-4.

Narr, R., Allen, J., Tan, J., & Loeb, E. (2019). Close Friendship Strength and Broader Peer Group Desirability as Differential Predictors of Adult Mental Health.. Child development, 90 1, 298-313. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12905.

Schwartz-Mette, R., Shankman, J., Dueweke, A., Borowski, S., & Rose, A. (2020). Relations of friendship experiences with depressive symptoms and loneliness in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic review.. Psychological bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000239.

Some additional resources can be found here:

• Ted-Ed: 'How some friendships last - and others don’t - Iseult Gillespie' - https://youtu.be/kOVdiDUlNsg?si=cEt7bxrJZGcJYz_n

• Life Kit podcast: 'A friendship expert shares the science of making and keeping friends' with Psychologist Marisa Franco - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a-friendship-expert-shares-the-science-of/id1461493560?i=1000579272615

If you or a loved one needs further support, we strongly encourage you to speak with your GP, psychologist, or another qualified healthcare professional.

Additional support can be found through:

Beyond Blue - https://www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 22 4636 

LifeLine - https://988lifeline.org/get-help/ 13 11 14 

Headspace - https://headspace.org.au 1800 650 890 (for those aged 25 or under)