While you might have hundreds of friends on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat, how many people do you really rely on in an emergency?
According to the latest research, it seems you can count the number of real friends you have on one hand – with most people counting on just four real-life/ Facebook friends for a shoulder to cry on.
Oxford psychologist Robin Dunbar analysed 3,375 Facebook users in the UK, asking them how many of their online circle they counted as real friends they can count on when suffering an emotional crisis.
While the average user has roughly 150 Facebook friends on average, respondents claim they rely on just four friends when experiencing a tough time.
The number stretches to 14 connections if they’re looking for sympathy.
So, how are we whittling down our friendship numbers in their hundreds?
Explaining his results, Dunbar told The Huffington Post:
“Creating friendships is very expensive in terms of time: to keep a friendship you have to invest a lot of time in the person, otherwise the friendship will inexorably decline in quality.”
So we guess it really is quality not quantity.
Let’s just hope your four friends pick you too.
This baby girl’s name used to be hugely popular in Ireland Baby names will always come in and out of style, but there is one name that is at risk of going extinct, and you may be surprised, as it was once a beloved name for Irish mams in the 1990s. According to a report […]
‘It’s just what I needed for the summer’ As the summer months approach getting a cool, comfortable nights sleep is often harder as the temperature rises. It might be a good time to invest in a summer duvet so you don’t overheat during the night, and this bestseller Slumberdown duvet could be the perfect choice. […]
‘I wish I bought one sooner’ Shoppers are rushing to buy this huge 40% discount on a popular Stanley cup – but you’ll have to be quick. A number of colourways including rose petal, orange cream, and sea glass aura have already sold out with shoppers snapping up this Amazon deal. But at the time […]
