Maintain and deepen your relationships with others

Confidence

Quality of Evidence

The evidence supporting the importance of maintaining and deepening relationships is high quality. Research consistently demonstrates that strong, positive relationships are critical for mental and physical health, longevity, and overall life satisfaction. Longitudinal studiesshow that individuals with close, supportive relationships experience lower levels of stress, better immune function, and greater resilience against life’s challenges. The evidence is robust across different populations and relationship types, underscoring the universal importance of nurturing close relationships.

Balance of Benefits and Harms

The balance of benefits versus harms of maintaining and deepening relationships is strongly in favour of benefits. Close, trusting relationships provide emotional support, reduce feelings of loneliness, and contribute to a sense of belonging. The potential harms, such as the emotional effort required to maintain relationships or the possibility of conflict, are generally outweighed by the significant benefits of having a strong support network. The guideline’s emphasis on mutual benefit, open communication, and boundary-setting helps mitigate potential risks, ensuring that relationships remain healthy and fulfilling.

Alignment with Values and Preferences

This guideline aligns well with the values and preferences of most individuals, as people typically seek out and cherish close, supportive relationships. The recommendation to maintain and deepen relationships resonates with people who value intimacy, trust, and emotional connection in their social lives. While some people may prefer less intimate or more casual relationships, the guideline’s flexibility in emphasizing mutually-beneficial and supportive connections makes it highly acceptable across various social and cultural contexts.

Feasibility

The feasibility of maintaining and deepening relationships is moderate. While most people recognize the value of close relationships, practical challenges such as time constraints, geographic distance, and personal or relational conflicts may make it difficult to consistently nurture these connections. However, the guideline provides actionable steps, such as practicing good communication and setting boundaries, which can be adapted to different circumstances. This increases the feasibility of maintaining healthy and deep relationships, even in the face of challenges.

Certainty of Recommendation

Based on our assessment of the above criteria, we are confident that building and deepening relationships is essential to social wellbeing. Our primary reservations relate to the fact that relationships are inherently complex, requiring collaborations across more than a single person, and as such are inherently not solely within the control of one individual. Nevertheless, we believe the likelihood that additional information or evidence would cause us to reverse this recommendation is low. Future research will help to identify the best relationship success strategies and how individuals can best utilize these strategies in their current context.

Overall Assessment

The overall rating for this guideline is Strong Recommendation, High Quality of Evidence.