S
http://www.livescience.com/53315-how-friendships-are-good-for-your-health.html
From the day children first step out onto the playground, friendships are a key part of life. According to Gallup polling data from 2004, 98 percent of Americans report having at least one close friend (the average number of friends is nine).
But friendship may be in trouble. Americans reported an average of 10 friends apiece in 1990, according to Gallup data, and a slew of sociology studies find that Americans have become more socially isolated over the decades. For example, a 2006 study on the number of friends people felt they could discuss important matters with found that the number fell from an average of 2.94 in 1985, to 2.08 in 2004.
But friendship may be in trouble. Americans reported an average of 10 friends apiece in 1990, according to Gallup data, and a slew of sociology studies find that Americans have become more socially isolated over the decades. For example, a 2006 study on the number of friends people felt they could discuss important matters with found that the number fell from an average of 2.94 in 1985, to 2.08 in 2004.