Many studies have researched how many friendships the typical person will make over a lifetime, the conclusion is that there is no consistent answer! What we can be sure of is that forming friendships support the development of many social skills such as sharing, taking turns, and cooperating, developing communication and conflict resolution skills and empathy for others.
What are the key benefits of friendships
Building confidence and self esteem, finding emotional support and developing a sense of belonging.
How many friends does the average person have over a lifetime?
There is no definitive or right answer, and can be influenced by other factors such as an individuals personality type and age. Renowned friendship researcher Robin Dunbar PhD suggests that a human can maintain between 100 - 150 relationships, but these relationships wont all look and feel the same they a broken down into different groups.
Other psychologists will often refer to four broad categories of friendships, acquaintances, casual friends, close friends and best friends.
Different Types of Friendship
Friendships are often broken down into four main headings; acquaintances, casual friends, close friends, and intimate or “best” friends.
Acquaintances
People we know and interact with but don't have a deep emotional connection too.
Casual Friends
People you see on a fairly regular basis and have a common interest with such as work colleagues, people who are part of a club or gym class, you can have a laugh with but probably wouldn't hang out with outside of the shared activity or interest.
Close Friends
People you may start out as acquaintance's but develop a deeper connection with, close friendships are based on mutual respect, trust, empathy, and a willingness to invest time and effort into the relationship. Research suggests as an adult 3 - 5 having three to six close friends is a healthy number, but it really depends on the individual.
Best Friends
A best friend could be referred to you trust, can be completely open with, someone who is always there for you and cares about your well-being, these type of friendships are based on mutual respect, admiration, and appreciation and mutually supportive.
How are friendships maintained?
Key behaviours for maintaining friendships include; positivity, supportiveness, openness and interaction.
Challenges of developing friendships for young children
As your child develops through their early years they will come across challenges in developing friendships you can support them with.
Social Anxiety
Some children may experience anxiety or shyness in new social situations, such as starting school, changing class or starting a new club. Supporting then to overcome the fear of rejection and building self-confidence is crucial.
Peer Pressure
Peer pressure starts to emerge, and children may face challenges in asserting their individuality.
You can support them by coaching them to make independent choices and resist negative influences.