"Zero" Is The Most Common Answer When People Are Asked How Many Friends They Have

(Source) — Friends do your health so many favors. They protect your health as much as quitting smoking and a great deal more than exercising, according to a large 2010 review in the journal PLOS One. More research has shown that socially isolated people are more than twice as likely to die from heart disease as those with a solid social circle. “Strong social relationships support mental health, and that ties into better immune function, reduced stress and less cardiovascular activation,” says Dr. Debra Umberson, a sociologist at the University of Texas, Austin. Umberson says emotional support is just one of a dozen ways friends may safeguard your health and extend your life. Unfortunately, though, many of us don’t have enough of them. According to data from the General Social Survey (GSS), the number of Americans who say they have no close friends has roughly tripled in recent decades. “Zero” is also the most common response when people are asked how many confidants they have, the GSS data show. And adult men seem to be especially bad at keeping and cultivating friendships.

I’m never going to win any popularity contests. Gun to my head right now, I don’t think I could get enough friends together for 3 on 3 halfcourt and if you asked for  Mario Kart race we might even have an extra controller left over. But… zero? Zero?! Zero friends. That’s what the average person has. Kind of a good feeling, no? It’s like finding out that the average American makes like 8 dollars an hour (I totally made that up, I have no idea what the actual number is but I know it’s not high), makes you feel pretty good about yourself. I thought I was kind of a loser being a blogger with 3 friends but it actually turns out I’m basically a rich prom king. Have fun eating off the dollar menu with all your zero friends, you goddamn losers.