TheIKNPost.com — Is it true that humans generally have 3 to 5 very close friends?
- Quality is More Important Than Quantity in Friendship
According to recent research, humans generally have 3 to 5 very close friends, 10 to 15 people in their social circle, and 100 to 150 acquaintances on social networks.
These numbers can vary based on a person’s personality, career, location, and social skills.
A common misconception is that happiness can be found by having lots of friends.
Research shows that it is not the number of friends that determines true happiness, but the quality of those relationships.
Close friends and “best” friends have a much more significant social impact than a group of casual relations.
Even among celebrities, there is a truism that having lots of friends is not the key to happiness. For example, Oprah Winfrey, Selena Gomez, and Matthew McConaughey, despite being widely known, only have about 3 close friends with whom they can share everything.
Data shows that nearly half of the American population reports having an average of 3 close friends, while another third has 4 to 9 close friends.
A small proportion have more than 10 close friends (about 13%), and 12% report that they have no close friends at all.
Oxford anthropologist Robin Dunbar even calculated that humans can only maintain a social network of 150 to 200 people, with the majority being casual acquaintances.
In closer circles, most people have a small group of 15 friends they can rely on, and realistically have a core circle of around 5 friends and family members or less.
Although social media has expanded online connections, true friendship seems hard to find these days.
In America, the number of close friendships declines over time, and having a group of surface-level acquaintances is not enough to meet our social bonding needs.
Maintaining close, quality friendships is an important key to true social connectedness.
In an era where we are digitally connected, it is important not to lose the meaning of personal relationships and the warmth of friendship.
Although the number may vary, having quality friends can provide tremendous benefits to our lives.
