Friends

“As external conditions change, it becomes tougher to meet the three conditions that sociologists since the 1950s have considered crucial to making close friends: proximity; repeated, unplanned interactions; and a setting that encourages people to let their guard down and confide in each other, said Rebecca G. Adams, a professor of sociology and gerontology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. This is why so many people meet their lifelong friends in college, she added.”

Interesting NYTimes Article: Friends of a Certain Age, by Alex Williams

10 Comments leave a comment below

  1. I suppose one could say the same thing about meeting a romantic partner. At least I could … being single as I am.

  2. Or take improv classes.

  3. Another reason to be great full for co-working spaces like Studiomates.

  4. Another reason I miss the awesome neighborhood coffee shop where I met almost all of my NYC friends. (and Swiss Miss herself!)
    RIP Victory Coffee Shop

  5. … or just hang out with Tina and Jessi!

  6. Yeah UNCG.

  7. I took her sociology class at UNCG. She created a class to go tour with the Grateful Dead and study sociology in the parking lot.

  8. I never meet anyone. In my city, you make friends in high school, then college, after that you’re married and that’s it. People have no social skills. They just want 3 friends, 1 lover and that’s it. I hate it. We can’t all live in San Francisco or NYC–> only 2 places in America where people are social?

  9. @janet: where do you live??

  10. I was JUST talking about this! Even as a twentysomething that works for themselves, it is SO hard to meet new people. And it’s not like people are looking for new friends at the bar. Something I hope to explore some more. And I just moved to Austin which is a pretty young city. We’ll see