Research suggests building meaningful relationships is the key to enhanced and prolonged happiness. In a society obsessed with romantic relationships, we often fail to acknowledge the importance of friendships- relationships that are much more likely to stand the test of time and be a constant source of joy and comfort. “Friendships play a unique role in our lives, different from the social support we may receive from our partners,” says Urveez Kakalia, founder and counselling psychologist at ImPerfect.

While we talk of putting in constant effort to keep a romance alive, we expect our friendships to run on auto pilot, even when the possibility of people turning complacent or growing apart is just as likely. The pandemic had left us isolated- locked away from our loved ones, effectively turning our friendships into long distance- even if one lives 5 kilometres apart.