According to happiness research, friendships have a bigger effect on your happiness than your income does. Companionship stimulates your brain’s attachment and social group circuitry, both of which help you feel safe and loved. According to a survey by the National Opinion Research Center, on average, the more friends you have, the happier you are. Furthermore, friendship itself lights up your brain in all the right areas. In October 2010, researchers at Harvard University found that brain areas associated with calm, familiarity, and happiness would respond more strongly when people were thinking about a friend versus a stranger with similar interests (such as a work colleague). If you can’t see your friends, at least think about them.