Having many friends may not guarantee happiness; but, it may play a key role, say some psychologists.
Psychology professors Drs. Martin Seligman and Ed Diener evaluated 222 college students by placing them into one of three groups: overwhelmingly happy most of the time; overwhelmingly unhappy most of the time; and those whose moods fell within an average range. Throughout one semester the students reported their daily moods and other factors, such as exercise or religious activity, that were deemed as possible variables in their felt happiness. The happiest respondents did not exercise significantly more, participate in religious activities significantly more, or experience more objectively defined good events. They were, however, more highly social, had stronger romantic and other social relationships, were more extroverted, more agreeable, less neurotic and scored lower on several psychopathology scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.
While strong social networks did seem to be a precondition for happiness, it was not a guarantee. Some of those in the unhappy group also reported good social relationships.
Another interesting finding was that even those who reported themselves as being the most happy did feel occasional episodes of sadness, however they seemed better able to respond appropriately.
Source: Diener, Ed, Seligman, Martin E.P., "Very Happy People." Psychological Science 13.1 (2002): 81-84.
