only the lonely

The question about loneliness is: Why do people do this to themselves? Why do Americans, who reported an average of nearly three close friends in 1985, now report an average of just over two? And why does one in four have nobody with whom to discuss personal issues? This is the age of Oprah and MySpace, of public emoting on television and the Web. Apparently people watch "Friends" but don't actually have many ... the new loneliness numbers appeared Friday in the American Sociological Review.

the article says that americans are forming and keeping fewer friends and confidantes than before. elsewhere, it has been argued that we are too busy. we need more time off to form friendships. that sounds good.