In general, having no friends is relatively normal. A February 2021 report found that 36% of Americans felt serious loneliness and a 2019 report showed that 1 in 5 people had no friends. If you have no friends, you are not alone. However, having no friends can lead to loneliness for some people.
While you might feel alone in your solitude, it is actually more common than you think. One survey suggested that 27% of millennials reported having no close friends, while 22% reported having no friends at all. For comparison, only 16% of Gen Xers and 9% of baby boomers reported not having any friends.
People need at least a little human contact in order to thrive, and true isolation can take a toll on your overall well-being. If you're not totally isolated, though, and your lack of friends doesn't trouble you, it can be perfectly fine to be satisfied with your own company.
More troubling is perhaps the change at the other end of the scale, where the share of people saying they have no close friends at all went from just 3 percent in 1990, to 12 percent in 2021.
(frɛndlɪs ) adjective. Someone who is friendless has no friends. The boy was unhappy because he thought he was friendless. Synonyms: alone, abandoned, deserted, isolated More Synonyms of friendless.
In general, based on 2021 survey data, the average person in America has between 3 and 5 close friends. According to this survey: almost half (49%) report having 3 or fewer close friends. over one-third (36%) report having between 4 and 9 close friends.
A lack of close friends and a dearth of broader social contact generally bring the emotional discomfort or distress known as loneliness. It begins with an awareness of a deficiency of relationships. This cognitive awareness plays through our brain with an emotional soundtrack. It makes us sad.
Three decades ago, 3 percent of Americans told Gallup pollsters they had no close friends; in 2021, an online poll put it at 12 percent.
Despite the high volume of #squadgoals grams posted by acquaintances you don't actually go out with, it's actually perfectly normal to have just a few close friends. So whether you've grown apart from your high school or college friend group, or never had one to begin with, here's why—and why it's OK!
Article content. In your 30s and 40s, a small, tight-knit group is optimal. Having three to five close friends allows for paired activities (tandem biking, charades), as well as intimate group outings (movie nights, wine tastings, group discount rates).
Jessica Harrison, a licensed professional counselor and owner of Courageous Counseling and Consulting, says a lack of long-term friendships is a major red flag. "It shows that they have not been committed to growing in relationships, which takes time and effort on both friends' part," says Harrison.
People who are uncomfortable with others or prefer to be alone may have a hard time maintaining friendships. Personality issues such as being pushy, too talkative, or controlling can be off-putting to others. Talking to an objective third party such as a therapist can help reveal issues that interfere with friendships.
A loner is a person who does not seek out, or may actively avoid, interaction with other people. There are many potential reasons for their solitude. Intentional reasons include introversion, mysticism, spirituality, religion, or personal considerations. Unintentional reasons involve being highly sensitive or shy.
Some people view loners in a negative context. However, some studies show that being a loner can lead to happiness for the individual and could actually be good for your health. Some people in this study experienced greater life satisfaction with less frequent interaction with their friends.
Mona Chalabi: According to Dunbar, our apple basket of relationships has an average of 150 people in it. This 150 figure is referred to as “Dunbar's number“. Now it might seem high, but what Dunbar is looking at is the number of relationships the brain can handle at one time.
However, introverts don't need a wide circle of friends. They prefer one or two close friends, even though they may know many people and have many acquaintances. Despite this preference, introverts are often criticized for not attempting to make more friends, and are often viewed as lacking social skills.
But just because it's difficult to make friends after 30 doesn't mean it's impossible. While one 2020 study found that more than 3 in 5 Americans consider themselves lonely, citing a lack of social support and meaningful interactions as the main cause, it certainly doesn't have to be that way.
Causes of loneliness include life changes that lead to social isolation, like moving to a new place, grieving a death, or the end of a relationship. In some cases, loneliness is linked with mental health conditions like depression.
The biggest topic adults seek out their friends for is relationship advice. Overall, the average adult spends four hours a week with their friends, and 48 percent say it's strange if they go an entire day without speaking to their best friends.
"It's very depressing, it's lonely. You end up isolating yourself more than you need to because you're not sure how to do anything about it."
Not having social relationships, especially in the long term, seems to have an effect on self-esteem, job or work performance, and overall communication skills. Further, scientific evidence has found health disorders in people who have little to no social relationships.
In Australia alone, residents of New South Wales have an average of three best friends, falling slightly below the global average of four.
At any age there are going to be people in your area who are open to forming new friendships. Not everyone has had the same social circle for years and years and isn't interested in meeting anyone else. If you go on sites like Meetup.com you'll see people have created groups catering to all ages.
Nearly six in 10 (59 percent) Americans say they have one person they consider their best friend. Forty percent say they do not. Notably, these types of friendships are common, and their prevalence hardly varies at all among the public.