Less is more: most Germans have no more than two close friends

“A friend, a good friend, this is the Best there is in the world”. The sang in front of 90 years, “The Three from the gas station” in the eponymous film Comedy – and, of course, the Comedian harmonists.

The Roman politician and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero already knew 2000 years ago “Without friendship life is nothing.”

But who asked the adults in Germany on the topic of friendship, gets to do it with a degree of caution.

Class instead of mass, even in the case of friendships

For example, over 50 percent have no more than two close friends or none at all. And almost one in eight (13 per cent) said that anyone of his deep thoughts and feelings to confide in.

The findings of a representative Yougov survey, commissioned by the German press Agency.

In the survey, 40 percent said they had only one to two close friends, so familiar to persons close to them.

11 percent said they would have no one the true. In the West (11 percent) reported more people have no close friends, than in the East (8 percent).

Of those with close friends, 42 percent said they would be including a best friend or a best friend. To women the meets more often (46 percent) than men (38 percent).

“Face to Face” and “Side by Side”-friendships

Psychologists speak of different tendencies in matters of friendship in the sexes: While women meet more often to exchange ideas and to maintain their relationship, men want to companies often tends to be only something in common and experience.

Psychologists speak of the “Face to Face”friendships that many women, in contrast to “Side-by-Side”friendships with many men.

A third (34 per cent) of respondents with close friends said, to include several of the best. After all, a fifth (21 per cent) said to have no best friend. The Rest made no answer.

Partner or friends Intimate trust?

The contact with the best friend or best friend is, according to the survey, very different. For example, 26 percent said they would several times a year, 25 percent several times a month. Less than once a year, 5 percent.

Once a year, once in month and once a week, 4 percent, 13 percent and 12 percent said.

After all, each of the(r) Tenth said, to meet several times a week the best girlfriend or the best friend every day but only 3 per cent. The Rest said “Never” or made no Declaration.

When it comes to share his deep thoughts and feelings, then many, instead of friends, the partner or the Partner’s preference (46 percent) and family (44 percent).

With close friends at least 38 percent, with 12 percent speak but.13 percent said, however, to share with anyone the depth of feelings. Multiple answers for this question possible.

With the doctor or your therapist of 8 percent, with work colleagues, 5 per cent, and with “friendly contacts in social networks” 4 percent talk.

Too old for true friendship?

Three years ago, a representative survey on behalf of the pharmacy magazine ‘Baby and family revealed that many Germans are of the opinion that new deep friendships in adulthood are rare.

Almost half (46 per cent) were, therefore, among adults closed acquaintances were mostly superficial – real friendships would be it very rarely.

Every Fourth (nearly 26 percent) was convinced that true friendships could be close actually, only as a child and teenager.

In the new poll, from December 2019, came out now, in fact, that many adults care in Germany old friendships.

Thus, 60 percent answered Yes to the question “do you Have friendly contacts (in person and/or in social networks), with which they were already in their Childhood and/or school friends?”.

Understandable: the younger the respondents were, the more contact to youth friends. In the case of people who are older than 55, there was, however, a majority of 52 percent said they have no more friendship contacts from the children and youth.

Source

• YouGov (2019): Friends. Carried out on behalf of the German press Agency. Archived from the original on 02.01.2020: http://docs.dpaq.de/15651-dpa_freunde_daily.pptx

Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa)

*The contribution of “Less is more: most Germans have a maximum published two close friends” is from FitForFun. Contact with the executives here.