Cultivating Professional Community: Be Accessible, Be Responsive, and Be Engaged

Friendships play a meaningful role in our mental and physical health and well-being. Close friends can provide emotional support, practical help, and perspectives outside of romantic partners and family members, according to research by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University.

Strong social connections, especially high-quality ones, are associated with psychological and physiological payoffs. Friendships may reduce the risk of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, and may influence how you respond to stress and help you see things from a different perspective, research shows.

How to cultivate strong friendships and build a professional community

While people may bond with friends in different ways — through emotional connection or shared interests, for instance — here are some tips from experts on how everyone can build and maintain healthy friendships.

• Be accessible. Repeatedly demonstrate to your friends that you’re available and that they can come to you for support both in moments of celebration and crisis. Being there for both the good times and the bad helps build and maintain strong relationships. To be accessible, establish a routine — a weekly lunch date with a colleague, an exercise class with teammates, a standing phone or video call, or a monthly get-together with a group of close friends.

• Be responsive — and reciprocate. When friends confide in you, be receptive. Let them know you’re interested in what they have to say. Likewise, confide back in them to establish a mutual level of responsiveness, Holt-Lunstad said.

• Be engaged. When a friend comes to you with something that’s important to them — whether it’s positive or negative — go beyond interest. Listen, ask questions to gain a better understanding and empathize with friends who may be going through a challenging time.