Your friendships get more complex but less complicated. As you grow older, your personal values become much clearer to you. When you are younger, you may make friends who have the same interests as you do. But as you grow older, your values may take precedence over liking similar things.
The older we get, the fewer friends we have. According to a recent study by experts from Aalto University in Finland and the University of Oxford in England, our social network shrinks after we reach our mid-20s.
"As we become adults, we have less and less environments where those ingredients are at play." Adults with jobs, kids, and a collection of other responsibilities also simply have less time available for making friends.
Friendships you established at a younger age may change because our brains develop over time, and the things that peaked our interests in connecting may change. That is not to say that the friendship will not withstand the test of time, but how you view that friendship may alter.
A 2016 study by Aalto University and the University of Oxford found social circles shrink significantly after age 25; people stop making new friends and start becoming distanced from the ones they have. Specifically, the study showed around age 25, the average person contacts between 17.5 and 19 people per month.
A recent study published by the Aalto University School of Science in Finland and Oxford University found that for both men and women, the age of 25 is when most of us start losing friends. Researchers call this a "peak" point, and as we get older, our group of contacts begin to drop.
Recent research has revealed why people may end friendships. The reasons can be categorized into four categories, including selfishness, infrequent interaction, romantic involvement, and perceptions.
If your friend doesn't respect your feelings, it's an unhealthy relationship. Feeling anxious or negative in your friendship is a sign that it may be best to end it. Your friend is dishonest or holds back information. “Deep connections require trust,” Schmitt says.
Obviously, most people don't meet all of their friends during childhood and, unfortunately, not all friendships last forever. The poll found that the average friendship lasts for 17 years, however, 17 percent say they've had the same best friend for over 30 years!
While you may think a friendship will last forever, it's not uncommon for some friends to fade. Sometimes, a disagreement or falling out creates a gap between friends. Other times, commitments like work, distance, or family result in a friendship slowly fading away without animosity.
Some of the factors leading to rudeness in old age are: Hormonal changes. Men see a decrease in testosterone beginning around age 40, and women see a decrease in estrogen beginning around age 50, both of which can lead to depression and mood swings.
People need at least a little human contact in order to thrive, and true isolation can take a toll on your overall well-being. If you're not totally isolated, though, and your lack of friends doesn't trouble you, it can be perfectly fine to be satisfied with your own company.
"It's very depressing, it's lonely. You end up isolating yourself more than you need to because you're not sure how to do anything about it."
In general, based on 2021 survey data, the average person in America has between 3 and 5 close friends. According to this survey: almost half (49%) report having 3 or fewer close friends. over one-third (36%) report having between 4 and 9 close friends.
Out of dozens of connections, the number of close friendships people have, Dunbar found, is five. Similarly, a 2020 study found that having three to five close friends is enough to feel fulfilled.
The final stage, post-friendship, occurs after a friendship has been terminated.
It could simply be a byproduct of a demanding schedule that requires more of your friend's time and energy. Or maybe they are dealing with something in their life that is taking up time or emotional space, such as caring for someone else or dealing with their own mental health.
Sometimes, people initiate the cut-off because they feel some sort of way about your friendship. And have been for awhile. Maybe they've been feeling neglected, maybe you've been really overbearing (and didn't know this), maybe you were really insensitive (and weren't aware of this). Etc.
You're not what a person or group is looking for in a friend
We naturally get along better with some types of people, while others don't really do it for us. It could be that you don't have the traits someone is looking for in a buddy. It could also be that you have a bit of a trait they want, but not enough of it.
A person with no friends is often called a loner. Some other terms that are used to describe a person that is lonely or isolated include recluse and hermit.
Causes of loneliness include life changes that lead to social isolation, like moving to a new place, grieving a death, or the end of a relationship. In some cases, loneliness is linked with mental health conditions like depression.