If you want to live longer, make some friends ... That's the gist of a new study that says our shorter lifespans might have something to do with the fact that we don't have as many friends as people did in previous generations.
Back in 1990, almost half of high school grads -- 49% --had at least six close friends. Fast forward to now, and that number has dropped to just 17%. College grads saw a similar trend, though not as steep. In 1990, only 2% of college-educated folks and 3% of high school grads reported having zero close friends. But by 2024, those numbers jumped to 10% for college grads and 26% for high school-only grads, according to the Survey Center for American Life.
60% of Americans report at least "some" depression due to loneliness, but some don't seem to care: Last year one study found a full 25% of young adults “believe that AI has the potential to replace real-life romantic relationships.”