Zerodha co-founder, Nikhil Kamath, who was recently featured in the Forbes World's Billionaires List, has expressed his concern over a “friendship recession.” The billionaire has reminded people of the importance of friendships. He has shared interesting research from the American Perspective and philosophy on the topic written by author Richard Reeves.

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The 2021 survey by the American Perspective, said that the world is facing a “friendship recession” due to a rise in the number of people who lack close friends.

Nikhil Kamath highlighted that this is a crisis as loneliness is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

The owner of the stock-broking platform shared the insights from the research and said friendships are “life-changing.”

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“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,” his caption read.

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

Nikhil Kamath also shared a detailed graph on human connections and their importance, highlighting that friendships are crucial for well-being.

Here are some of the insights shared by the Zerodha co-founder

The American Perspective Survey revealed four factors that are causing a decline in friendships.

These were increased parental focus on child-rearing, geographic mobility, work-centric culture, and falling out of relationships causing separation of friend groups.

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It said that 15 percent of men reported lacking a close friend while the same was only 3 percent in the 1990s.

It further mentioned that over half of women lost touch with their friends during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Here’s how to maintain friendships

According to author Reeves, throughout history, a tribal size of around 12-15 friends has been considered reasonable but having 3-4 close friends is often ideal for “meaningful connections".

He mentioned two solutions that can be employed to conquer loneliness and the friendship recession.

The first is to recognise the importance of actively working on friendships as they require effort, like woodworking, but the rewards are worth it. The second is to be vulnerable and open to the need for a friend and shedding the shame of admitting that desire as one grows older.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)

First Published:May 27, 2023 8:40 PM IST