Content
Why We Have Fewer Friends As We Age: It's Important to Know the Reasons to Avoid Being Alone in Old Age
26.03.2024 08:43
There are several reasons why, as people grow older, they stop actively making new contacts and lose friendships.
Communication needs and goals change
In youth, people seek communication in order to gather information about the world, and various social contacts are suitable for this purpose. They easily make acquaintances and prefer communication with peers.
However, as people age, they begin to understand that life will end sooner or later, and decide to focus on what brings them pleasure. As a result, the number of friends decreases, and only those with whom emotional closeness and warmth are achieved remain. All others are ruthlessly excluded from the social circle.
More time spent with family
At first, marriage helps you expand your social circle, get closer to your spouse's friends and family. However, over time, family becomes the top priority.
The spouse begins to fill the role that friends used to play, becoming a partner in entertainment and satisfying emotional needs. With the arrival of children, this effect only increases.
Work takes away time for socializing
Going to work also leads to an increase in the number of friends, but only at first, since over time old friends may disappear from the social circle due to lack of time and growing differences in interests and social status.
Interference in the form of life circumstances
In most cases, friendships in middle age end accidentally, due to various circumstances, such as moving. Only about a quarter of people consciously end relationships – in cases of, for example, betrayal.
Accidents (death of a loved one) are also one of the circumstances that can lead to the breakdown of friendly relations.
Earlier we talked about why some people lose weight due to stress , while others do the opposite.
