By Jessica
Psychologists have found that one of the most important determinants of happiness is the quality of relationships in our lives.
How fulfilled we feel by our connections to other people determines so much about how fulfilled we feel about life in general. Those connections might include our partner, our close friends, our larger community, or the people we see everyday.
It’s wonderful to make new friends and forge new relationships. Of course, that can happen at any stage of life, especially if we travel, try new things, and put ourselves in new settings where we’re likely to meet new people who share interests with us.
But once we’ve built a structure for our lives, invested time and care in the relationships we’re committed to (like say, our spouses, kids, grandkids and lifelong friends), we may not have a lot of time and energy left to meet new folks.
That’s why it can be so important to take pleasure in the relationships we already have. It can become crucial to cultivate these relationships in our lives—just as they are.
There’s often room to deepen existing relationships and make them more fulfilling. That could involve connecting with a partner you’ve had for over 30 years, a friend you’ve had since college, or the folks in your community you’ve been seeing every week for a decade.