Making Friends Is Difficult

When was the last time you made a new friend? If you must think about it for a minute, that’s normal. The odds are it’s been a while. Years, in fact. According to a new study by Evite, the average American hasn’t made a new friend in about five years. A lot of it has to do with life circumstances. Truth be told, most of us aren’t looking to make new friends. According to their findings, only 45% of adults are looking to make new friends.

This makes sense based on previous info I’ve shared with you. The average person only has three truly good friends as an adult, and that’s completely normal. We’re busy, life happens and there just isn’t enough time to keep up more relationships. According to the study, the quickest way to end a friendship is to move. Only the strongest of friends are likely to maintain long-distance friendships over time but if they do, they were most likely formed around the age of 23. That’s the most common age for forming a friendship that sticks. It makes sense if you think about it. That’s typically an age where one’s entering the real world and seeking people of like mind and interests while not having a spouse and family to tend to. As for where most friendships are made for adults, you guessed it, it's at work. Overall, 82% of people say it’s hard making friends as an adult but there’s also a takeaway within this research. 

For adults who form meaningful friendships, the most common way they occur is in person, however the most common way someone who’s seeking companionship interacts with others is online. Simply getting out in the world doing things of interest to you, the good old-fashioned way, still is the best way to make friends. 

Photo by: Getty Images


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