FAQ
Can one person fulfill multiple of these types of friendship?
It’s possible that one person can offer multiple types of friendship and friend qualities. For example, your best friend might also be a lifelong friend and your go-to social friend that you go out on the town with. That said, those categories don’t have to overlap, and it’s rare that one person can fulfill all the friendship needs that a person might have. You might have a best friend that you can really confide in, another friend who is as into astrology as you, and yet another friend who’s on the same career path as you and can really talk shop with you about work stuff.
How many best friends does the average person have?
A 2019 Snapchat survey of 10,000 people from around the world found people report having an average of four best friends. In the US specifically, the number goes down to three best friends on average.
How many friends do you need?
There’s no one set number of friends that every person needs to have. What’s important is that you feel like you have enough people in your community and social circle to rely on and share life with.
Franco recommends asking yourself: Am I fulfilled with these interactions? Do I feel lonely? Are there parts of my identity that I don’t feel able to express? “Our answers to that might inform whether we need more connection in our lives,” she explains, or if we need a few more types of friends in addition to the ones we already have.
Can people outgrow certain types of friendships?
People can certainly outgrow certain types of friends, especially situational or life-stage friends that are relevant in a specific context or period of your life but whose friendship may not transcend to other parts of your life.
“But I think it’s also really important to keep in mind that friendship ebbs and flows, and there’ll be times when we feel closer and times when we feel more distant,” Franco adds. “If we take that ebb to mean the friendship is over…it’ll impede our ability to keep long-term friends. So just make sure the friendship is over and over rather than just an ebb in the ebb and flow of our relationships. “