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Old 06-23-2006, 10:30 PM   #1
TuralyonW3
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Unhappy Americans' circle of close friends shrinking

I found this article interesting. I always wondered why my dad didn't go hang out with friends at the bar like every other TV family dad.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/06/23...eut/index.html

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Americans are more socially isolated than they were 20 years ago, separated by work, commuting and the single life, researchers reported on Friday.

Nearly a quarter of people surveyed said they had "zero" close friends with whom to discuss personal matters. More than 50 percent named two or fewer confidants, most often immediate family members, the researchers said.

"This is a big social change, and it indicates something that's not good for our society," said Duke University Professor Lynn Smith-Lovin, lead author on the study to be published in the American Sociological Review.

Smith-Lovin's group used data from a national survey of 1,500 American adults that has been ongoing since 1972.

She said it indicated people had a surprising drop in the number of close friends since 1985. At that time, Americans most commonly said they had three close friends whom they had known for a long time, saw often, and with whom they shared a number of interests.

They were almost as likely to name four or five friends, and the relationships often sprang from their neighborhoods or communities.

Ties to a close network of friends create a social safety net that is good for society, and for the individual. Research has linked social support and civic participation to a longer life, Smith-Lovin said.

People were not asked why they had fewer intimate ties, but Smith-Lovin said that part of the cause could be that Americans are working more, marrying later, having fewer children, and commuting longer distances.

The data also show the social isolation trend mirrors other class divides: Non-whites and people with less education tend to have smaller social networks than white Americans and the highly educated.

That means that in daily life, personal emergencies and national disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, those with the fewest resources also have the fewest personal friends to call for advice and assistance.

"It's one thing to know someone and exchange e-mails with them. It's another thing to say, 'Will you give me a ride out of town with all of my possessions and pets? And can I stay with you for a couple or three months?" Smith-Lovin said.

"Worrying about social isolation is not a matter of nostalgia for a warm and cuddly past. Real things are strongly connected with that," added Harvard University Public Policy Professor Robert Putnam, author of "Bowling Alone," a book on the decline of American community.

He suggested flexible work schedules would allow Americans to tend both personal and professional lives.

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 10:41 PM   #2
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See guys. You're not so different afterall. Unless you are white.

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 10:59 PM   #3
PkPhuoko
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wrong board

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:00 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by PkPhuoko
wrong board
the quickest of glances at the article would prove you wrong

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:02 PM   #5
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no i meant wrong board as in no one on the entire netphorian forums gives a shit

i'd recommend a board where faggotry was accepted

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:03 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PkPhuoko
no i meant wrong board as in no one on the entire netphorian forums gives a shit

i'd recommend a board where faggotry was accepted
suuuuuuuuuuure

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:04 PM   #7
billex doux
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hm, i can definitely relate to most friendless americans then.

even america- meaning the united states as a whole- is quite friendless at the moment. i cant think of one country that likes us besides japan. i dont even know if they like us though.

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:05 PM   #8
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see if Billex can relate to the subject it's a subject of faggotry

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:06 PM   #9
TuralyonW3
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billex do you put you dick in guys asses?

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:07 PM   #10
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nope.

DENIED.

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:08 PM   #11
PkPhuoko
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If you had a penis would you?
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To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:11 PM   #12
billex doux
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maybe with a girl.

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:14 PM   #13
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what if you had to do a blind taste test?

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:18 PM   #14
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we need to solve this like we have every other crisis - "War for friends". The government, of course, could just mandate that everyone have at least three close friends! Those that don't can go to government socialization classes. Those who have more than 5 close friends can get a "national friendship initiative" tax credit. How great would that be for America!!!!

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:19 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jczeroman
we need to solve this like we have every other crisis - "War for friends". The government, of course, could just mandate that everyone have at least three close friends! Those that don't can go to government socialization classes. Those who have more than 5 close friends can get a "national friendship initiative" tax credit. How great would that be for America!!!!
lol, true libertarian pwnage

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:20 PM   #16
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I'll be your friend if you promise not to shoot me.

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:21 PM   #17
billex doux
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PkPhuoko
what if you had to do a blind taste test?
what am i tasting?

or is that the point.

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:21 PM   #18
TuralyonW3
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billex and clint take your sodomic ramblings to another thread

edit: actually the billex stuff is kind of a hot countermelody to this otherwise serious thread

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:23 PM   #19
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hey. you were the one who asked if i put my penis in other men's butts.

dont make me post the facts.

edit: thanks for the compliment, however.

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:31 PM   #20
Orenthal James
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i have a rather large group of people whom i would close friends. but i lack the ability to sustain any meaningful romantic relationships with a member of the opposite sex.

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:34 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TuralyonW3
billex and clint take your sodomic ramblings to another thread

edit: actually the billex stuff is kind of a hot countermelody to this otherwise serious thread

you realise she can't even drive yet correct?

 
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Old 06-23-2006, 11:36 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PkPhuoko
you realise she can't even drive yet correct?
ssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 
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