There's a loneliness crisis.
About 20 to 30 percent of the population say they are lonely and friendless. And those are just the ones who have acknowledged it. Many more people are at risk of serious loneliness if they lose their spouse, a relative, or a single social acquaintance.
Research shows that friendships equal health and wealth.
Oxford psychologist Robin Dunbar and her coauthors reported in their book "The Social Brain: The Psychology of Successful Groups," that having a larger number of quality friendships has a more dramatic effect on health than even weight, exercise, diet, or air pollution. In a 2008 study, researchers found that having a regular friend is equivalent to the happiness from making an extra $150,000 per year.
But friendships are down, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One recent survey found that about half of Americans lost touch with friends during the lockdown.
