Everyone knows that friendship in general makes us happier and strengthens our mental well-being. Formal social activities such as volunteering also improve mental health.

But, at the same time, there can be too much good. In a recent study, we followed people aged 50 and over from 13 European countries over two years to find out how volunteering, teaching, participating in religious or political associations, or membership in sports or social clubs affect mental health.

We also paid attention to how many of the study participants had close people - that is, those with whom we could discuss important personal issues. It turned out that social activities are most beneficial for those who are in relative social isolation ( that is, those who have three or fewer close people).

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For those with more trusting contacts, active participation in public life does not improve mental health. For some, it can even hurt.

Who benefits from social activities

Social isolation is a serious health problem. In addition to a mental health threat, it can have many other negative consequences, including dementia, heart disease, stroke, and premature death. But people who suffer from a lack of social contact can take steps to improve their situation, such as becoming involved in public life.

We found that for those who were relatively isolated, formal social activity improved their quality of life and reduced symptoms of depression.

Excessive social activity can be a source of stress

If such people regularly participated in social activities, then at the national level, the number of those who are satisfied with the quality of their own life would increase by 5-12%, and those who experience symptoms of depression would decrease by 4-8%. This would significantly improve the mental health of the general population, given that more than 70% of the people in our sample ( Europeans 50 and older) have three or fewer close friends.

There are many reasons why social activity contributes to mental health and mental well-being. Community activities can be an opportunity to forge new relationships, gain social support, and build a sense of belonging.

“Too Much” Community Activities

While all studies so far have indicated that the more social connections the better, our findings cast doubt on this. Just as excessive exercise can be detrimental to mental health, too much social activity can also be a double-edged sword.

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When we plotted the relationship between quality of life and depression symptoms on the one hand and social activity and the number of trusting relationships on the other, we got a U-shaped curve. That is, with a low level of social activity, mental health was weak, with a moderate level - good, and with a high level, it again left much to be desired.

The lowest levels of depression were found in those who maintained close relationships with four or five friends and participated in weekly social activities. With any further increase in social activity, its beneficial effect weakened, completely disappeared or was replaced by a negative effect.

This was especially evident among those who had seven or more close relationships. In these people, participation in social activities increased depressive symptoms.

On average, most of us have about five close friends. Extroverts report more, but the price is that their friendships are weaker.

Since our social capital ( and in fact, the time we have to devote to friends and acquaintances) is limited and approximately the same for everyone, we can say that extroverts prefer to distribute a little attention to a large number of people. Introverts take a different approach: they focus on fewer people to create truly strong friendships.

This change in one indicator at the expense of another determines the extent to which we can be involved in social relations. If you interact with a large number of people, your communication with them will be superficial. Such a fractional distribution can lead to the fact that you will be on the periphery of many collectives, instead of entering the core of a certain social group and feel the whole beneficial effect of friendly support.

Meetings, calls, gatherings. How often do we need to communicate with other people? Plus, being overly social can be a source of stress. This threatens with such negative consequences as overload, emotional and intellectual exhaustion, fatigue, as well as a sense of guilt in cases where, due to lack of time, it is not possible to pay enough attention to the development of relationships.

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Here another interesting consideration suggests itself, which we have not yet been able to test in practice. The family is an important part of our social life, including in terms of emotional and other support received from relatives. If you devote too much time to social activities, you will have to devote less time to your family. This can create tension in family relationships and thus adversely affect well-being.

So what is the conclusion from all this? Maybe this: if you want to live a happy and fulfilling life, be socially active - but don't overdo it.

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