Friendship recession

An alarming trend these days, especially in Western countries, is the decline in close friendships. An article in the Harvard Business Review calls it 'friendship recession', as the number of people in the US since 1990 to the present saying 'I have no close friends' has risen fourfold to 12%. Stanford University offers several courses on friendship. In urban India, too, reportedly, acquaintances are increasing but genuine friendships are decreasing. Some call it a social issue, others say it is a cultural problem. It could also be because many people are spending a lot of time on social media and surfing the internet; consequently, they miss out on engaging with people real-time, hanging out with them and making good friends.

According to an 80-yr-long study by Harvard, the key to true happiness and health is close relationships. These close relationships are not necessarily with family members; very often, the closeness we feel to a non-family person might be far more nourishing than with a relative. Perhaps it is due to the fact that as a third person, a friend will have a wider picture of your personality and circumstances, and is less judgemental and/or demanding - with no inhibition/insecurity in opening up.

Friends are likely to lend unconditional support in an emergency when you are vulnerable. Faith stories abound of the value of deep friendships. In the Mahabharat, Krishn and Sudama, Duryodhan and Karn, are popular examples. Nothing can beat real-time dosti.