Do you have a good friend?

[David Black]

A startling in the American Sociological Review, found 25 per cent of Americans do not have a single friend. That is, nobody "with whom to discuss matters important to them", said the researchers. The average number of friends was two.

What your count after 20,30 40 or 50 years on this planet?

[David Black]

Sorry for the spelling stuff I struggle sometimes wwith this technology!

[Scarlett]

I have maybe 4 or 5 very close friends who I am in regular contact with, and who I discuss personal things with. I have a lot of other friends- people who I have met through life, who I keep in contact with, but probably not on a daily basis!

[~Wingnut~]

Hi David :o)

I'm 28 and to be honest, I don't really have many friends. I have my husband and my Mum to confide (moan at) in and that's good enough for me.
I have people I work with and of course the Mum's & Dad's at my daughter's school, who I chat with when I go to pick her up, a couple of whom I consider friends.
I would probably say I had good friends when I was younger and at school but have drifted apart from now.

I like my own space and time to myself or with my family and probably wouldn't like it if I had friends ringing and calling round most of the time.

[David Black]

The imusing thing is if you ever saw the film Crocodile Dundee referring to "Mates" it sums up the lack of friends in the usual urban landscape.

[petes_dragon]

I'm the same as wingnut - haven't really got a lot of friends - I've got my husband and I'm really close to my family

I've got some friends from work and a couple of people that I've known for years that I see regularly

A xXx

[devilwoman]

i dont seem able to make friends or cant hold on to them for long, i know people who are chatty and friendly but not to have seruous discussions with, my best friend is about 3o years older than me, she looked after me for about 4 years when i lived in childrens home and i've kept in touch with her all my life, can talk to her about anything but her and her husband elderly now and have health problems and live quite a way from mee so only get to see her about 3-4 t6imes per year now.

[rugeleyboy]

i sadly lost my best mate 5 years ago in a motorbike accident, i have people i talk to and go out with but i didnt realise how much 2 burly bloke's needed each other like we did!!!

they say you can count your friends on 1 hand but i sadly cant!!

[jiggy-gb]

I have 3 close friends whom I can tell anything to and know I can count on them if I ever needed them, as they can me. My family are great but my closest friend is mr jiggy, he's the best friend a girl could ever want :o)

[Clanad]

I've seen the article to which you refer and find it fairly accurate in my limited experience. One factor that comes into play, in my opinion, is that there are vast areas of the U.S. that are still quite rural, not only in location but in culture. Here in the western U.S., "close" friends isn't "the Cowboy Way" (maybe more so for Cowgirls)... One can have acquaintences and spend time with friends, but spilling ones guts about personal matters is frowned upon. (Rightly so, in my opinion). The large metroplexes engenders the "Friends" TV program interactions, as does campus settings, but here in the outback, on can certainly depend on ones neighbors in a pinch, but we refrain from discussing and "sharing" those things that should remain in the family...

[unruliejulie]

I have 4 very close friends who i can confide in but i would confide differently depending on which friend it is. My best friend is my sister in law (hubbys sis), one i have known since i was 5 years old and one is a friend i don't see that often, but when i do, it's like yesterday since we were together. I could always confide in my other sister in law (my bros wife)and would trust her with anything as she and i are more like sisters too. I consider myself to be very lucky with the friends i have.

[David Black]

Mr jiggy? Sorry I don't understand the reference.

I am 49 please forgive me?

[jiggy-gb]

LOL, no probs David! My nickname is jiggy, and as no-one on here knows me or my partner he's mr jiggy to all of you. Most people refer to their partners that way on here :o)

[mccfluff]

i have 4 close girlfriends with whom i/we share pretty much everything, we don't live in each others pockets but keep in touch regulary and meet up at least once a week, aside from that i have loads of mates who i see socially or at work all the time.

[sense4all]

I have four people I could turn up to in the dead of the night seeking sanctuary. No questions asked! When I have a major issue - these are the peeps I seek assistance from ( and them me!) and if they said you are being unreasonable give the other person a break... I would listen and trust their POV ( point of view) Some of them are people that live hundred of miles away and we keep in sporadic touch with each other, but after two seconds it is like we have never been apart.! I am forty one ,my family ( siblings ) are great , but not the same!

[shaneystar2]

i have two friends who I have known since we were at school together and we have been friends for 46 years ..we meet up as often as possible,telephone or these days, email all the time.we have never lost touch.I have another close friend who I have known for over thirty years and several fairly close friends who I am in regular contact with.On a scale of 1 to 10 that makes about six really close friends. My closest bestest friend is Mr.S. followed by my sons ,my beloved brothers and their families and my deceased sisters family and my Mum in law.
I also have a very lovely friend who I met through AB !

[shaneystar2]

P.S. Thinking about it ..I have a wonderful friend ...with four legs and a great personality.He never asks me questions I can't answer and he knows all my secrets!.He is loyal , faithful and trusts me implicitly,you can tell him anything ,he will never let me down... ....man's best friend ....my dear old pooch Shaney.

[mycats]

I have a very good friend that I was best mates with since I was 14 but we have kinda drifted apart a little bit. I also have my best male friend who I have been very close to for about 8 years but again, I dont see him as much anymore :-(
I do have Pixi though :-) I would say she is my best mate, we talk every day on msn, e-mail etc and we phone text as well. I never thought I would be so close to someone I met online lol but I would be TOTALLY lost without her

[aka pixi]

I dont have any close real life friends as Ive lost touch with them all over the years, I have mates at work and mates that I see occasionally, but we arent really close. But I do have a really good friend online, my bestest friend ever in the world. We chat all the time, online and phone/text each other. I really miss her when shes not around. I love her to bits.......its cat :D