As a person grows older, is it normal to spend less time with friends?

87% Normal
11 Comments

Ok so I've been trying to wrap my head around this question/idea lately. As people grow older, is it normal to "taper off" in the amount of friends that you have or time spent with friends? Being that I'm only 22 I figured this process would have been a lot slower but as of now I only spend time with my friends (or a friend) once or twice a week and not for extended periods of time (a few hours tops). It's getting to the point where I start to question if my friends think I'm becoming weird when I see them, there's that awkward tension that lurks at the end of the conversation. Sometimes I believe it's me being over analytic to the extent that I make it awkward. However, when I talk to my parents or my girlfriend about this situation they say "it's just part of growing up". There's parts of me that has a hard time accepting that because I wake up in the middle of the night asking myself "why did I not hit up my friends today?" In turn, it gives me a grounding feeling that makes me all melancholy. I'd love your feedback, especially from people that are older than me and have possibly gone through what I'm experiencing.
I look forward to hearing from you all:)
~Jeremiah
P.S. This is my first post ever on one of these social networking websites ( I don't even have a Facebook to post what's on my mind) so I'm really excited ha

Voting Results
87% Normal
Based on 46 votes (40 yes)
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Comments ( 11 )
  • Holzman67
    10 years ago

    Sadly it's normal. What I get often from my friends is "catch up soon" put at the end of phone calls or conversations, but that "catch up" is left for you to arrange and sometimes doesn't happen for 6 months+. It really just seems like something people say to show good intentions, a throwaway line that has no basis in reality. You wait till your friends get married and have kids, if you're still single they virtually cut you off completely because they make friends with other married people with kids.

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  • Terence_the_viking
    10 years ago | pl

    Yes everyone seems to be so busy when they are older no time for a quick coffee or even to fart then runaway.

    I miss the good olds times.

    Bob: school finishing soon you will stay in contact right
    Fred: Of course i love you like a brother.
    Bob:You are my dearest friend.
    Fred I'm gonna miss you.

    But you didn't stay in contact did you fucking prick.

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  • Shoefish
    10 years ago

    Once or twice a week? That's plenty. You'll probably lose most of your friends as you get older. But when it comes to the important ones it shouldn't matter how much you do or don't see them.

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  • MacG
    10 years ago

    I'm a little over 40. Once school is over and the daily grind really sets in, you lose friends. All my friends from college, I still get the occasional email or we follow each other on twitter or Facebook, but we used to hang out almost every day-- lunch, between classes, parties, golf, the bar, whatever. And now I can't tell you the last time we saw each other. It tapers off in most cases. You get other acquaintances, neighbors, other married couples, people from work, but in my experience it isn't the same and you really don't have time and energy anyway.

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  • vagman30
    10 years ago

    When I was younger during my freshmen year of college, I used to hang out with my friends and my girlfriend like everyday. Sometimes we'd ditch our classes and go to the mall instead. But sadly, real life reared it's ugly head and split us all apart. We all got too busy with school, work, and just our own personal lives. Now I'm limited to having just female sex friends whom I meet every weekends to only have sex with which isn't so bad. Mostly I just hang out with my brother and my cousin.

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  • agentchaos
    10 years ago

    normal but it usually takes until youre 30s and then its work friends, after you retire youre friendless

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  • kelili
    10 years ago

    Yes it's normal. I'm twenty-six and just a couple of years ago most of the times I was with friends. Now I see them every two or three weeks. But we have been friend for so long that whatever the lapse of time we haven't been together it always feel good when I meet them.

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  • cȱɱpɩɛx
    10 years ago

    When my great-grandfather got close to his hundredth birthday, he seemed to have no friends left at all.

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  • squeallikeasacofpigs
    10 years ago

    Yes indeed, you'll often find that friends from High School or whatever will drift apart from you whilst you may become closer or make new friends from work.

    Another classic way in which friends drift apart, one which really fucking annoys me, is by girlfriends. Dudes get a gf for the first time and suddenly they forget about their friends and spend all their time with her. I've lost 3 friends in the past 2 years to girlfriends. Damn shame.

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    • WhiteCrow
      10 years ago

      And to think people make the Bros before Hoes thing. Then they don't follow it 2 years later.

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  • TheProph
    10 years ago

    I heard something like "every 7 years people lose half their friends"

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