While it’s important for a happy — and healthy — life to have friends, a new survey suggests people over the age of 55 have just four they can really count on if they needed it.
Making matters worse, the poll of 2,000 Americans in that age demographic shows that one in five feel lonely more than half of every week, according to the wellness company that commissioned the survey, Life Time.
Seventy-seven percent of those polled say their social circles has shrunk as they age; nearly half have cut ties with at least three people in just the last two years.
That said, there’s a silver lining: 83% of respondents say they feel it’s never too late to make new friends and 70% are actively seeking out new pals.
Certain must-haves when it comes to having new friends, for more than half of those surveyed, was that they should like the same things.
Fifty percent craved good conversationalists, and nearly as many like people with similar life experiences. Forty percent want new friends to keep them active; in fact, 64% said they’d be more active if they met somebody who would get moving with them.
Forty-eight percent said they’d like to make a new friend while walking or hiking; 32% hoped they could find a friend while swimming at the beach.
Survey questions, methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.