It’s a universal truth that as we get older, our circle of friends gets smaller. While we’re busy wondering what went wrong in some of our long-lost friendships – it turns out, it might be us. While we’re busy looking back at the past and rereading old texts, it’s important to keep in mind that these people might not have even been our “true friends” in the first place.
According new study published in PLOS ONE, a scientific journal that is comprised of studies and research, about half of the friends we have don’t really like us. The researchers studied students in the United States and Europe, studying how many of their friendships were mutual attractions – determining how many people actually liked their friends.
Basically, we consider more and more people our “friends” with the emergence of social media – we’re able to stay connected to more people and be more informed of their lives through social networking. Therefore, we consider ourselves really “close” to more people than ever. But, according to the study’s research, if we have 10 friends, we may only really have 5.
Think about that for a minute.
Ouch.
The good news is, according to the study’s author, it’s easy to tell who are your friends and who aren’t. Basically, it all comes down to your other friends and circle, too. If you have the same friends in common and a similar amount of friendships, you’re more likely to be in a friendship with depth and meaning – basically, they like you too.
While that sounds super crazy – think about it for a minute. The girl with hundreds of friends doesn’t really value all of those hundred people. But, the girl who has a few good friends, like yourself – she values her friendships.
So, the next time you’re reevaluating your life and your relationships – make sure you take a good look at your friends.