Yesterday, the UK breathed a collective sigh of relief as Boris Johnson announced the end of a "long national hibernation". "The bustle is coming back," he said.

From 4 July, social distancing guidelines in England will be eased, restaurants and cafes will re-open and, for the first time in three months, many will be able to spend quality time with friends.

All over the world, if lockdown has taught us anything, it is how much we need friendship.

Life under quarantine has been about maintaining physiological needs of food and shelter, at the expense of our social need for a close circle of friends. Some have rediscovered the joy of neighbourhood friendships - but most of us are longing to see our closest friends again.

Social scientists take this very seriously. "Your wellbeing, happiness, your physical and mental health, even your risk of dying are all affected by the number of close friends that you have," says evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar.

Research shows friendship is as important to your health as diet and exercise, and can even boost your immune system.

Dunbar suggests we need between three and five close friends. But what makes the perfect friendship? A major studyResearchers asked students aged between 10 and 17 to choose the three more important qualities in a friend. After a good sense of humour (82%), students picked honesty (67%) and kindness (61%) as essential characteristics. at Cardiff University found that the most important characteristic is a good sense of humour. Life can be far too stressful without someone with whom you can share a joke.

Laughter has always been an essential part of social bonding, but it's not the full story. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said the purest friend is one who values you for who you are, and not what you can do for them.

This friendship is about empathy and being understood. He thought this was a very rare and special bond, not to be confused with mere acquaintances, colleagues, and classmates.

Ever since Aristotle, humans have distinguished between true and fake friends. We're suspicious of ulterior motivesOne of the most successful books of all time is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (1922-1955). Carnegie showed how we can change people's behaviour towards us by mimicking friendly behaviour. and feel uncomfortable that friendship may have a purpose beyond the pleasure of each other's company. We have developed a sophisticated and ever-changing language to describe the complexity of friendship, from bromance to frenemies and then friendzoneFirst used in a 1994 episode of Friends, this term refers to a friendship where the unrequited love of one friend is met by the platonic affection of the other..

But some say we should be more honest about our basic need for friendship. Western culture celebrates the individual, but we can only achieve so much on our own. Working together towards shared goals not only helps us do more, but also makes for deeper and more meaningful relationships.

Dunbar's research into friendship reveals it is not just shared goals and values that bind us together.

Touch and face-to-face contact releases pleasure hormones in a way that interactions on social media cannot replicate. And, without renewing these interactions, he warns that these special bonds slowly begin to "decay". Which makes it all the more important for us to enjoy our rediscovered freedom and meet up with our friends as soon as possible.

Yes. Friendship is fundamental. We need friends to make us laugh when we feel low, talk through our problems when we are confused, and to give us a sense of social belonging and meaning. Without friendship, loneliness can seriously affect our health. With friends, we live longer, healthier, and happier lives.

No. Friendship is obviously not a basic human need like food and water. Throughout history, many spiritual people have actively chosen solitude and found a deeper sense of belonging away from human contact. Many others have no friends at all, and are perfectly happy with family and colleagues at work. Friends are over-rated!