When I was starting a relationship with a girlfriend, you have these conversations of getting to know the other person, who is important in their life, friends and family, etc. I would refer to more than a few people as 'friends' of mine. She would say, 'you have a lot of friends' or she would question... 'is this person a friend or an acquaintance?" Which had me to start thinking of who my friends were? I realized the thought of, 'Just because we are friends on Facebook doesn't make us friends.' Duh, right?!
The value of friends has an overwhelming value especially when we need them in our lives the most. Currently for me, my friends are supporting me through a painful breakup and my mom being diagnosed with breast cancer.
A new survey that knows the difference between 'friends' and people that you know has come out to find that the average American hasn't made a new friend in 5 years. With more people dealing with 'loneliness', is this surprising to you?
45% of those surveyed said they find it hard to make new friends. Some said they were having a hard time making friends because they're shy. Others say it's because they're not into the bar scene and a third say it's because most people already have their circle of friends making it harder to join the group.
Other reasons given were family commitments, not having hobbies that are conducive to making friends and moving to a new city.