When you’re a kid, making friends is pretty easy, but as you grow up that can get harder and harder, and it seems quite a few adults have a hard time expanding their circle of friends.
A new poll finds that 45% of people say it’s hard to make new friends as an adult, with most people saying 23 is the peak age for making friends, although 36% say it’s actually only 21.
When it comes to friends, the average American has about 16, three who are friends for life, five people they like and would hang out with one-on-one, and eight they like, but don’t spend one-on-one time with. Of those good friends, almost half of people say they met them in high school, while 31% met them in college. They also have 50 acquaintances and 91 social media friends.
So, what is keeping folks from making new friends? Well for 46% of people it’s shyness, but for others certain barriers get in the way of finding new friends. For example, 33% of people say it’s because most people want to go to bars, but they’re not into it. Other reasons include:
- Feel like everyone has their friendship groups already formed (33%)
- Family commitments (29%)
- Not having hobbies that would help them meet new people (28%)
- Moving to a new city (21%)
Source: SWNS Digital