Table of contents:
- Evidence that the older the number of friends is getting smaller
- Various reasons are getting older, the number of friends is getting smaller
- Start deciding who is important
- Busy with work
- Focus on family
- Realize that some influential friends are not good
Do you feel like your friends are decreasing with age? Don't worry, this is something that is normal for everyone. Is it true and what is the reason that the older a person is, the fewer friends can be?
Evidence that the older the number of friends is getting smaller
Maybe the number of friends or followers There are hundreds or even thousands of you on social media. But try to pay attention, when entering adulthood, friends who still meet often or just contact are just that.
This fact is true and very natural to happen to everyone. As a person grows older, the number of friends is very likely to decrease.
The study, published by Aalto University School of Science in Finland and Oxford University, found that aspects of human behavior are closely related to age and gender, including friendship. Younger individuals will have more friends, and at that time, men have more friends than women.
Furthermore, the study also explained that both men and women began to lose friends rapidly when they entered the age of 25. This reduction in the number of friends continues with age, at least until someone retires.
Various reasons are getting older, the number of friends is getting smaller
Even though the numbers are getting smaller, that doesn't mean this is a bad thing. In fact, this tends to be a positive thing for your social life. Here are some reasons why a person gets fewer friends.
Entering adulthood, a person begins to decide who is the most important and valuable in his life. Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary psychology at Oxford University, said that when you find the right friend, a person tends not to have the desire to expand their friendship. Instead, he makes a greater effort to keep those important friends or friends.
In women, this is done because these important people can help them raise their children. Therefore, as you get older, the number of your friends will get smaller.
Upon entering adulthood, everyone begins a more serious phase in life, namely work. When entering this period, a person starts to lack time to socialize with friends. Therefore, he only chooses a small circle of friends with a small number, making it easier for him to divide his time between work, social life, rest, and pursuing hobbies.
Apart from working, adults have started to build households and have children. He will be very busy in fulfilling household needs, such as shopping, building houses, and so on, as well as educating children.
Even when a child has entered school age, someone will be busier in finding the right school, taking the child to school, supporting children's learning, and various other activities. Not to mention if there is a large family event. This busyness makes a person older, the fewer friends he has.
Kunal Bhattacharya, a researcher from Aalto University, said that during this time, a person will have more family contacts because of marriage, while his social life of friendship is actually shrinking.
Sometimes, you find some friends are toxic for you, it's like having a problematic mindset, not being with you, never helping you, or even talking about you with other people. However, you only became aware of this when you were growing up, so you start avoiding it, which leads to a smaller number of your friends.
