Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath recently shared that he is worried about the world facing a “friendship recession” with a number of people admitting to lacking close friends. The billionaire added that he has five friends that he would "do all for".
Taking to Twitter, Kamath shared a few infographics from a 2021 survey by the American Perspective, which described friendship recession as the rise in the number of people who lack a certain number of close friends and fewer people to rely on in terms of crisis. "The more philosophy you read (not stoic), having a community seems to be the biggest precursor to #happiness (as fleeting as it might be). I have 5 bros in my life I would do all for, life-changing this is, seriously," Nikhil Kamath tweeted.
The more #philosophy you read (not stoic), having a community seems to be the biggest precursor to #happiness (as fleeting as it might be).I have 5 bros in my life I would do all for, life-changing this is, seriously pic.twitter.com/jMxVDKs031
— Nikhil Kamath (@nikhilkamathcio) May 26, 2023
The American Perspective Survey also highlighted that friendship recession could become a serious crisis in the future as loneliness is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It pointed out four factors that are causing a decline in friendships-- geographic mobility, increased parental focus on child-rearing, work-centric culture, and breakdown of relationships leading to the separation of friend groups.
According to the survey, 15 percent of men reported lacking a close friend while the number stood at only 3 percent in the 1990s. Meanwhile, more than half of women lost touch with their friends during the Covid pandemic.
Raising the alarm on the 'friendship recession', the survey said that if the trend continues there could be more "atomized individuals and a dystopian outlook". The lesser number of friends in our lives would also increase " sadness and ill health".
Speaking on friendship recession, Dr Robin Dunbar, an anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist, and a top researcher into friends and friendship, told The Guardian, "Studies have shown, the single biggest predictor of our psychological health and wellbeing, our physical health and wellbeing, and even how much longer we’re going to live, is the number of close friendships and family relationships we have."
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