How many friends does it take…?

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An MSN Messenger study of the friendship patterns of 10,000 persons among the UK population cites some interesting statistics:

  • Brits collect an average of 396 friends each over their lifetime.
  • People wind up staying in touch with about 1 out of 12 of the friends they make.
  • The average number of friends they maintain is 33.
  • Only a fifth of the keepers are close friends.
  • Ironically, people spend more time with social friends than close friends.
  • Women see their social friends every 3.5 days while they see their close friends only six times a year.
  • Two-thirds of those surveyed call the attrition of friends one of their “biggest regrets in life”

 

social v. close friends

That is interesting--it's definitely true for me. My closest friends (the ones I've known longest and feel the best connection to) I only see a small number of times a year, whereas there are people I see everyday whose company I enjoy but whom I might or might not invite to my wedding (just to use a trite index).

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