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coalescentThere was a story in this week's Sunday Times about friends. You have to subscribe to be able to see it online, but the gist of it is that the 'average Briton' apparently has fourteen close friends, and that this is a surprisingly high number.
It is?
Conservatively, I'd say I've got between twenty and thirty close friends, and I don't think of myself as Mr Sociable, or that I've got a particularly generous interpretation of 'close friend'. I'd say fourteen is about right for the lower end of the scale, in my experience, and that the average is somewhat higher than that. Am I massively off base here?
The other statistic that got my attention was that eight out of ten people have a 'best friend' that they make time to see at least once a week. Here, I'm at the opposite end of the scale: I don't think I've got a best friend. I'm not sure I ever have had one. Maybe Rach, but understandably that's somewhat slipped away since she and Rich became an item. Other than that, I have the aforementioned wide circle of people I'm proud to call close friends, but nobody I'd peg as a best friend. If and when I ever get married, I'm gonna be screwed when it comes to choosing a best man because I won't be able to single anyone out.
Again, am I hugely unusual in this?
On a lighter note, the article identifies several classes of friend:
- Firefighter Friends: Only called on in times of emotional crisis.
- Champagne Friends: Whose primary role is as someone to have fun with.
- Heartsink Friends: Cause the eponymous effect when they call to see if you're free.
- Fossil Friends: May have dropped out of contact for several years, but can be easily reactivated.
The concept of reactivateable friends appeals to me.
It is?
Conservatively, I'd say I've got between twenty and thirty close friends, and I don't think of myself as Mr Sociable, or that I've got a particularly generous interpretation of 'close friend'. I'd say fourteen is about right for the lower end of the scale, in my experience, and that the average is somewhat higher than that. Am I massively off base here?
The other statistic that got my attention was that eight out of ten people have a 'best friend' that they make time to see at least once a week. Here, I'm at the opposite end of the scale: I don't think I've got a best friend. I'm not sure I ever have had one. Maybe Rach, but understandably that's somewhat slipped away since she and Rich became an item. Other than that, I have the aforementioned wide circle of people I'm proud to call close friends, but nobody I'd peg as a best friend. If and when I ever get married, I'm gonna be screwed when it comes to choosing a best man because I won't be able to single anyone out.
Again, am I hugely unusual in this?
On a lighter note, the article identifies several classes of friend:
- Firefighter Friends: Only called on in times of emotional crisis.
- Champagne Friends: Whose primary role is as someone to have fun with.
- Heartsink Friends: Cause the eponymous effect when they call to see if you're free.
- Fossil Friends: May have dropped out of contact for several years, but can be easily reactivated.
The concept of reactivateable friends appeals to me.
