BLUF
Old friends are important, but they may not be in our lives forever; when we were young, making friends was relatively easy; but as adults, making and maintaining friendships can be much more difficult for some.Summary
This article by Anastasia Hronis, writing for ABC-Australia, makes the following points:
- Evidence suggests that chronic loneliness can be lethal.
- In many countries, loneliness was at epidemic proportions, even before COVID-19.
- Since COVID-19, loneliness has soared.
- Surveys have found that more than half of Australians report experiencing greater loneliness since the start of the pandemic.
- When researchers interviewed adults about making friends, the most critical challenge cited was a lack of trust.
- A 'lack of time' was the second-most common reason people gave when asked why they found it hard to make friends as adults.
- Women were more likely than men to say they didn't make new friends easily.
References
Recent Runway Posts related to this topic:
- Pets and the pandemic: the impact our animals had on our mental health and wellbeing | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
- How lighthouse keepers show us the way in dark, isolated times | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
References from the Web:
- MAR 2021 Making Adult Friends Is Hard: Here Are 40 Reasons Why—Psychology Today
- OCT 2021 'I Have No Friends': Here's What to Do—VeryWellMind
- JAN 2022 There’s no easy way to make new friends as an adult – and sometimes our friendships can feel like a chore—The Guardian
Source Information ABC-AUSTRALIA:
- Article Source: ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- Media Check: ABC News - Media Bias Fact Check (mediabiasfactcheck.com) (sources link)
- LEARNING OUTCOMES—RUNWAY | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
