Go to group activities: Most senior living communities have a robust social life with plenty of activities for seniors to choose from: yoga or morning stretch activities, arts and crafts, happy hours, educational seminars, outings to museums and more. Even if it's not something that interests you, give it a try.
Adults with jobs, kids, and a collection of other responsibilities also simply have less time available for making friends. And research shows making a casual friend takes 50 hours on average, while close friendships take 200 hours.
Research tells us that, for both men and women, the age of 25 is when most of us start losing friends. “Suddenly, your friends disappear, or you all start taking new life directions as you graduate from college,” Jackson says. “You adopt new values. And so, you look up, and you think, 'Where did all my people go?
Is it normal to not have friends as you get older?
Friendships are meant to evolve over time. So if you've noticed that your circle of friends has shrunk in the last few years, don't worry – it's normal!
Since 2002, members have used Meetup to make new friends, meet like-minded people, spend time on hobbies, and connect with locals over shared interests.
Indeed, the number of friends people have peaks around age 25, but then substantially drops around age 30, when work and the nuclear family take over. Americans, especially those who are highly educated and high-earning, work longer hours and are more likely to move for work than ever before.
As a general rule of thumb, a person is likely to be disliked if they are overwhelmingly negative, put others down or have no interest in their peers. Social anxiety can also be a concern; a person who thinks little of their own social aptitude may appear unlikable to others.
Is there a website for older people to make friends?
Senior Chatters is an online forum specifically designed for older adults looking for friendship or companionship online. With almost 10,000 members, it's one of the most popular senior friendship sites out there.
However, You Have Got to Be Ready if You Want the Happy Life After Retirement. Another study, this one from the Employee Benefit Research Institute, finds that while most seniors are indeed happy, a higher percentage are feeling more dissatisfied than before.
According to a survey conducted among adults in the United States in May 2021, 12 percent of respondents said they had no close friends. This marked an increase compared to a three percent share of U.S. adults stating the same thing during a survey conducted in 1990.
There's no “right” number of friends you should have, but research says most people have between 3 and 5 close friends. Friendship is necessary, but it can feel challenging to find people who really “get” you. What's more, what you need from your friends might change as your life circumstances change.
Attend Community Events. Start by looking for groups or clubs that gather around a hobby you share. You may find these groups online, or they may be listed in the newspaper or community bulletin boards. Attending the events will assist in choosing the right friends for you.
People who work together often form strong connections. Meet people by volunteering with a community center, charitable group, hospital, museum, or place of worship. Join a social circle. One of the easiest ways to meet people is to surround yourself with people who have large friend groups of their own, O'Brien says.
