I always thought that as you moved through life you’d just keep accumulating friends, layering new relationships onto existing ones. But looking at new data from the Pew Research Center on the state of friendship in the U.S., I’m reminded of my own surprise when I woke up in my mid-30s and wondered: do I still have friends?
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49% of adults 65 and older say they have five or more close friends. That number just keeps going down as you go down the age range: 40% of those 50-64 have five or more close friends, compared to 34% of those 30-49 and 32% of those younger than 30.
Doesn’t that illustrate exactly what they said in the first paragraph? The older you are, the more friends you have?
I think they’re trying to point out generational differences. If they had data of how many friends the age 50+ had when they were 30 they’d support their point better.
I mean, yeah, I initially had the same reaction as you. But I think the point is that for many the friendships after 30 don’t really overlap with the friends before 30. You lose a whole lot of friends you weren’t expecting to.
This is a weird article.
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Doesn’t that illustrate exactly what they said in the first paragraph? The older you are, the more friends you have?
I think they’re trying to point out generational differences. If they had data of how many friends the age 50+ had when they were 30 they’d support their point better.
I mean, yeah, I initially had the same reaction as you. But I think the point is that for many the friendships after 30 don’t really overlap with the friends before 30. You lose a whole lot of friends you weren’t expecting to.