How Oxytocin Shapes the Friendships That Protect Your Health
- Strong friendships increase survival rates by about 50%, making them as important for your health as diet, exercise, or quitting smoking
- Oxytocin, often called the bonding hormone, determines who you trust and how quickly you form lasting connections
- When oxytocin signaling is disrupted, friendships take longer to form, feel weaker, and lose their emotional reward
- Research in animals shows that friendship is an evolved survival strategy found across many species, not just humans
- You can strengthen your own friendships by focusing on fewer, deeper connections, sharing rewarding experiences, and maintaining consistent contact
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