9 years ago
6
Having fewer friends is better for you – and that’s great news for introverts like me
Science has finally proved that spending your Friday night in the company of your cat is good for you. Happiness is determined by the quality - not the quantity - of friendships you have in your thirties, according to a new study published in the American journal Psychology and Aging. This is good to hear for introverts who, like me, typically have fewer friends that they’re very close to.
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http://www.independent.co.uk
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What's interesting is that the study states that the quantity of friendships is more important for people in their 20's, and then quality becomes more important for people in their 30's. I think this goes a little past introversion/extroversion
As an introvert, I wouldn't say this is a rebuttal of extroversion or an appraisal of introversion. The point of article is that the quality of a friendship trumps the number of friendships a person has, and that makes sense. However, there are people (both extroverts and introverts) who are able to cultivate larger numbers of high-quality friendships -- and if you want to try to argue this mathematically, then perhaps the "average" quality is lower than that of someone with a very small, close-knit friend circle...but that's not the point.
I think extroversion vs. introversion is less a measure of the ability to form meaningful friendships than it is a question of whether a person is comfortable with more or less people (full stop) around. An extrovert could enjoy being in crowds of unknown people, but still have just a close-knit circle of friends. Just my two cents.
Introvert here..It's quality not quantity for me.
A close knit circle of quality friends is definitely the best way to go, but a vast network of acquaintances carries many benefits as well.
Suck it, popular people!
Well, to be honest, I can tell you from experience, only having 4 friends isn't all that great either.