Blog #2 Part 1: The Costs and Rewards of Relationships

In class we discussed the costs and rewards tied to our personal relationships with others. Relationships do a lot for us: whether that be emotionally through feeling happiness or gaining emotional support, or even in times of needing money or a place to stay for the weekend. We invest these things into our close friendships because we have a genuine sense of trust and respect with them. For example, when a friend of mine and I are out to eat, and we realize it is cash only, I pay for my friend’s meal because she only has a debit card and I have cash. It’s situations like this that show who you are close with, because if I was there with a group of strangers I most likely would not offer to pay and instead suggest we go somewhere else. 

On the other hand, relationship also have some costs. There may be times when you need to spend the day with a friend when you really want to be doing something by yourself. Other instances like offering your physical energy to a friend to help them move also counts as a relationship cost. Sacrificing things like time and physical energy deem worth it to us because of the outcome the other person receives. We want our close friends and family to feel like they matter, and sacrificing little things is just one way you can give them that honor.  

Overall, friendships provide us with plenty of benefits that out-weigh the costs. It’s funny to think that a friendship can keep you healthy, but as the book states, it really can!  The happiness like we mentioned that comes as a reward actually wards of negative stress-effects due to the serotonin we receive from interactions with our close relationships. They also look out for our safety and well-being, something you cannot rely on a stranger to do. It is important to remember to look out for each other and to make sure that you don’t focus on what you are getting out of the relationship, but what you can do to elevate your relationship.