Research

I started collecting this research because I kept hearing the same worry at my parties and in my inbox. People feel like they have fewer friends than they used to. It turns out the data backs that up.

This is where I keep the studies, surveys, and numbers that explain what's happening to friendship in America. Some of it is grim. The share of adults with no close friends has climbed for thirty years. Time spent with friends has dropped. The men's friendship recession statistics show the steepest decline of all.

But I don't want this page to be a wall of bad news. I read these studies looking for what they tell us to do differently. The research on in-person time and health is a good example. It shows how much a single phone call or a shared meal actually matters.

If you want the full picture, start with my overview of what the friendship recession is. Then dig into the studies below. I add new research here as I find it.