Relationships are connections with others that provide a sense of connection and support. They help us thrive by providing stability and emotional strength during life’s ups and downs. Relationships can be romantic, platonic, familial or professional. Healthy relationships may help reduce stress, improve mental and physical health, and add meaning to your life. While our needs for relationships vary, most research indicates that having close social ties is beneficial to your health and can add years to your life.
A relationship can be as simple as a four-year-old playing with someone they just met at the park. As we get older, the type of relationship we have with other people can change depending on the type of connection and how much time and energy is invested.
The word relationship is also used to describe interactions that don’t necessarily involve two people, such as an economic or legal connection between companies, countries, or citizens. For example, you have a relationship with your doctor when you visit her office for an appointment or when you sign a lease to rent an apartment.
Romantic relationships are most often viewed as the benchmark of a meaningful connection. A romantic relationship involves two people who are emotionally connected, share love and affection, and mutually respect each other’s independence. This type of relationship requires time, commitment, and a deep level of trust.
While the need for human connection appears to be innate, many researchers believe that our ability to form stable and fulfilling relationships is learned, possibly starting in early childhood with our first experiences with caregivers who reliably meet our needs for food, care, warmth, protection, and social contact. These early relationships set the stage for future attachments and influence our patterns of relating to others throughout life.
Having healthy romantic and platonic relationships is critical to your overall well-being. You’ll feel happier, more confident, and self-assured with strong connections to other people. They can also enable you to take risks and pursue your dreams, knowing that you have a supportive community behind you. In addition, a healthy relationship can have positive effects on your mood and your body by lowering the production of cortisol, which is a stress hormone.
A good way to test your current relationship is to ask yourself how excited you are about spending time together and whether they make you feel happy, physically and emotionally intimate, and loved. If you find yourself not wanting to be around them, or even actively trying to avoid them, it’s a sign that you need to address some issues or rekindle the spark.
It’s important to keep in mind that a relationship can become unhealthy if one person controls the other. This can include limiting who the other person spends time with, how they use their money, or how physically affectionate they are. It can also mean using manipulative techniques to manipulate the other person into feeling guilt, pity, or jealousy. If you find yourself in a situation like this, seek therapeutic recovery to break free from the negative relationship and heal.