Importance of friendships?

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Having friends is not only fun, but also very important for a persons overall wellbeing.

1. They make you smarter. You pick new hobbies and interests from friends who are interested in them. If you are in a class with someone who is a friend you can figure out the assignment from them and discuss your shared interest in the subject matter

2. They make you happier. If you have sad or depressing thoughts having a friend on hand is hepful for advice.

3. They make you develop.

There are so many benefits to friendships really. It is sad that people with AS have a tough time finding/identifiying friends. If everyone had a warm close group of friends at all stages in their life the world would be a better place

I don't uderstand which they were to serve this thread? About it knew Epicurus still...

I don't think so...

I'm a naturally curious person, I don't need outside motivation to learn new things. Better yet, since I'm truly interested in the topic I'll learn and remember better since it's not just a temporary "thing" to impress other people.


My experience with sharing emotional/personal information is that it will eventually be used against you. I'd much rather figure it out on my own than have to be watching behind my back to see when that info will be used.


See point 1.

In my case, outside motivation has only discouraged me from learning what I'm naturally interested in, because other people aren't "impressed" by nerdy interests. They make you feel there's something wrong with you if you don't want to be shallow and actually like studying heavily intellectual matters in depth.



I can only wish I'd learned that earlier—especially to avoid relying on those who kept pressuring me to suppress my own judgement, on the grounds that it's faulty, and trust people who, invariably, showed soon enough that I actually had good reasons not to trust them.



Or they bully you, or simply begin making decisions for you and take control of your life with the most complete disregard for your real interests. Besides, they'll often think they're doing you a favor.

This sounds like a case of "this is a good thing: if it's good for you, my point has been proven; if it isn't, you have been proven too weak to matter, so harming you is a good thing, for it's part of natural selection". Of course, the last part, while essential for the whole reasoning to be consistent, works better socially if left unstated.

Wanting or having friends is not a necessity it's a subjective choice. If you are happy having friend good for you but other people are equally as happy without them.

1) They make you smarters? Smarter than what? Smarter than you would be without them? Sorry but that's just untrue. A person's intelligence is in no way related to the size or depth of their social circle.

2) They make you happier? Again, happier than what? Happier than you would be without any friends? I seriously doubt it. If you don't even like other people, and have no wish whatsoever to socialise, why would having so-called friends intruding into your life make you "happier?"

3) They make you develop? No they don't. In some situations other people can actually hold you back by expecting you to conform to their standards and becoming a part of the conformist crowd, rather than standing out on your own merits.

It's also pretty condescending to "feel sad" for people who don't have fiends. I don't have friends because I don't want them and I'm quite certain that I'm not the only person on this planet to have made that choice, because choosing to have or not to have friends is nothing more than that, a personal choice it's not a requirement for "happiness."

I don't need or want friends. They are just enemies in disguise, the only difference being that at least you know your enemies don't like you.

Lucky people who don't need friends.

I'm completely and totally socially isolated and miserably lonely, so good friends can do me some good if just to keep me sane.

Aromantic Asexual Aspies with little to no interest in having friends are some of the luckiest people of all.

I see a lot of Aromantic Asexuals argue it is terrible for a variety of reasons including being surrounded by a world that pressures them to have romantic relationships and sex, but I'd trade all that than to be miserably lonely.

Aromantic Asexuals who don't want friends are truly free in this society, not held back by societal expectations and free to live however they want, as long as they want to, without the aching pang of loneliness constantly stabbing them and preventing them from enjoying life.

The assumption here is that the hobbies and interests of your friends will become important to you. This is not always the case and can cause strain if you do not show enthusiasm for their particular interests. However, if their hobbies are interesting to you, BLAM!, you have a new partner-in-crime.



This can be the case sometimes, but not as often as you might think. I have found that most people react in one of two ways when you share sad or depressing thoughts: (1) convince you that you should "snap" out of it and pretend to be happy (which is often for their sake and not because it is appropriate advice for you). This can make you feel even worse. Or they (2) try to offer loads of advice on what to do. Not everyone is a good listener, and many feel pressured to offer a "fix" when sometimes you just need to be heard. Also, if you struggle with depression, your friends will grow exhausted of listening to you.



Any interaction with new and different people will cause you to develop. I think that friendships can be beneficial, but I also understand people who choose not to have friends. They can be a lot of work sometimes.

This is why I have never understood the concept of loneliness. When you are alone, you are free.