Can doctors prescribe friendship instead of medicine?

What if a doctor’s prescription for loneliness were a walking group, a gardening club or an invitation to volunteer? That is the idea behind social prescribing, an approach that connects people with activities and support in their communities instead of treating every problem with medicine.

The approach recognises that companionship, purpose and enjoyable routines can influence how people feel. A person struggling with loneliness might find support through gardening, while someone else could rebuild confidence through art, exercise or volunteering. Social prescribing does not replace medicines or professional care. It sits alongside them.

A large UK study published in Nature Health in 2026 followed thousands of people using social prescribing services. Within one to six months, participants reported greater happiness and life satisfaction, a stronger sense that life was worthwhile and less anxiety. The reported improvements appeared across different social and economic groups.

The idea may deserve attention in countries such as Bangladesh, where busy clinics often leave little time to discuss loneliness or social isolation. Perhaps, alongside tablets and referrals, a future prescription pad could sometimes carry a simpler instruction: “Meet people. Move. Create. Belong.”