Life wouldn’t be the same without best friends! They’re the friends that can be counted on to be there at a moment’s notice. The ones who love, laugh, support, and cherish – in both good and bad times. And this day is all about celebrating them!
How to Celebrate National Best Friends Day
Thank a Best Friend
One notable and spectacular way to honor that one special person in your life, is to celebrate best friends day, that’s for sure! Whether you’re celebrating old friends or new best friends, now is the ideal moment to show them how much they mean to you.
You may have met your best friend at school, college, work, through a family member, or even through another friend! Let’s face it, it doesn’t matter where you met your best friend, they will always be your ride or die, buddy. A best friend is so important because they will always be there to listen to you when you are feeling lonely, angry, or frustrated that you have run out of milk!
As well as being there for you during the disappointing times in your life, they are also there to celebrate every success with you. A best friend will always tell you if you have spinach in your teeth and be your number one cheerleader no matter what. You only really need one best friend in order to feel like you have a trusty companion. Although a large group of friends might seem appealing having one trustworthy best friend to celebrate best friends’ day with is all you will ever need!
Surprise Your Bestie
Millions of people mark this special day each year by celebrating with their nearest and dearest. You could say that one of the most exciting things about National Best Friends Day is that many people don’t even know it exists. Is your closest buddy blissfully unaware of this special day? You could genuinely surprise your them with a small or grand gesture that blows their socks off!
Keep It Simple
Celebrations can be as low key or as flamboyant as desired. A picnic in the park, a get together over coffee, or a nice meal in a favorite restaurant are popular ways to celebrate a close friendship. There are a number of ways to observe best friends day this year. First of all, why not call up your best friend in the world and have a long-overdue catch-up? This is the perfect way to celebrate if you are in a long-distance friendship.
Thank Them From Afar
Should distance keep best friends apart, it’s enough to pick up the phone to wish that special person a very happy National Best Friends Day. Thank goodness for technology and video calling; that allows us to stay in touch with those who are far away from us. Another cool way to acknowledge best friends day is by buying a surprise gift for your number one pal.
Remember Situations You May Have Experienced Together
Here are some weird and wonderful situations that you and your best friend could find yourselves in at some point in your friendship:
You and your best friend have probably got lost at some point together. Is it really a friendship if you have never ended up in the middle of nowhere and unable to find your end destination? Getting out of these situations is true friendship for you!
You have probably called your best friend in an excitable state to let them know some amazing news that has just happened in your life. A best friend will always be excited to share your wins with you!
Have you and your best friend ever spent the entire night on the phone to each other and not realized how late it was? A true best friend is someone you could spend hours on the phone with and never run out of things to say.
At some point in your friendship you have probably called your best friend crying about an upsetting situation that has happened in your life. Whether that is a relationship break up or an embarrassing moment at work, your bestie will always be the first person to know about it, that’s for sure!
Have you ever been in any of these situations with your best friend? If so, your friendship has definitely stood the test of time and you are both in it for the long haul.
Whether you blow them away with a weekend away or you take them on an unexpected shopping spree, there are so many amazing ways to show your pal how much you care, this National Best Friends Day!
Friendships are an indestructible bond that join many people together in beautiful ways. Celebrating best friends day is just one of the ways you can acknowledge your awesome sidekick and show them how much you love them.
Take a moment right now to think about that one important person who is there by your side no matter what. They are the person you want to go on vacation with, you turn to them when you are having trouble with relationships and you always want to share secrets with them.
A best friend is the person who you would even share your last cookie with (now that’s friendship!). They are the Batman to your Robin, the sugar to your spice, and the sand to your sea! Who is that person for you? Chances are that person that springs to mind first and foremost is most definitely your best friend.
National Best Friends Day Timeline
Aristotle writes about friendship
Defining friendship in three ways, Aristotle muses in his writings about the friendships of utility, friendships for pleasure and perfect friendships.
National Friendship Day begins
Congress determines that the first Sunday in August should be set aside for National Friendship Day, to celebrate the deep meaning of friendship.
Film “Best Friends” is released
Starring Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn, this romantic comedy film is based on the true story of the two writers of the film who live and work together in Hollywood.
National Best Friends Day celebrates on Times Square
Bringing to light the reminder that friends are worth celebrating, particularly friends of the best variety, are worth celebrating! And Times Square, New York is a great place to do it, sponsored by BFF Entertainment.
UN Declares International Day of Friendship
Although this one takes place in July, any day in honor of friendship is worth celebrating. The United Nations General Assembly chooses this day to promote friendship between cultures, peoples, individuals and countries.
History of National Best Friends Day
National Best Friends Day got its start in 1935 when it established through the efforts of the United States Congress.
Friends can be celebrated on any day of the year, but what better day than National Best Friends Day? It’s a lighthearted, super fun, and down-right awesome day that should continue to be recognized and celebrated.
You might be thinking, “I don’t need a special day to show my bestie how much I love them!” Well, why not? It’s the perfect excuse to get together, enjoy your favorite activity and appreciate them even more than you normally would. Weird as it may be, National Best Friends Day is definitely one to be celebrated loud and proud!
National Best Friends Day Facts
Best Friends Can Literally Help People Live Longer
Long-term studies in the United States and Europe have found that people with strong close friendships have a significantly lower risk of early death, even when controlling for smoking, exercise, and income.
One large Australian study of older adults reported that participants with the strongest friendship ties were about 22% less likely to die over a 10‑year period than those with weaker friendship networks, suggesting a protective effect of close friends on longevity.
Childhood Best Friends May Shape Adult Mental Health
Research that followed nearly 170 children from age 15 to 25 found that teens who had one strong, close friendship in high school showed lower levels of social anxiety and depression and higher self‑worth in young adulthood than peers who were simply popular.
The study indicated that the quality of a best friendship, rather than having many acquaintances, predicted better mental health outcomes a decade later.
Best Friends Often Share Similar Brain Responses
Neuroscience work at UCLA and Dartmouth has shown that good friends tend to process the world in surprisingly similar ways. In one study of nearly 280 students, researchers measured brain activity while participants watched the same videos and then compared patterns across a social network.
Close friends, including “best friends,” had more similar neural responses in multiple brain regions than people who were less connected, suggesting that friends literally “see the world” in more similar ways.
Aristotle’s “Perfect Friendship” Still Shapes Modern Ideas of Best Friends
In the 4th century BCE, Aristotle distinguished between friendships of utility, friendships of pleasure, and a rare “perfect” friendship based on mutual virtue and appreciation of each other’s character.
Philosophers note that this third type maps closely onto what many people today call a best friendship, where each person wishes good for the other for their own sake and the relationship endures through changing circumstances.
Close Friendships Buffer Stress as Powerfully as Family
Psychologists have found that close friends can provide stress protection comparable to, and sometimes stronger than, that offered by relatives.
A large international survey published in 2017 showed that among older adults across 5 continents, having supportive friendships predicted greater happiness and better health, even when family relationships were strained.
Participants who said their friends “really understood them” reported less chronic illness and higher life satisfaction.
“Best Friend” Bonds Are Found Across Cultures, but Expressed Differently
Anthropologists studying 16 field sites on five continents have reported that nearly all societies recognize especially close, preferential friendships, although not all use a term equivalent to “best friend.”
In some small-scale communities, these bonds are marked through ritual gift exchange or shared work obligations, while in urban settings they are more likely to be expressed through confiding secrets and emotional support, showing that the idea of a special, trusted friend is culturally widespread but locally shaped.
Best Friends May Be Especially Important for Only Children
Studies comparing only children with those who have siblings suggest that close friendships can play a compensatory role when there are no brothers or sisters.
Research in China and Western countries has found that only children who report having a best friend tend to show similar or better levels of social skills, life satisfaction, and emotional support as peers with siblings, indicating that a strong best-friend relationship can substitute for some aspects of sibling closeness.
National Best Friends Day FAQs
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