How Many Close Friends Do You Have

For the past 7 or 8 years I have been part of a Social Capital/Social Justice Conversation Group in Pittsburgh. We meet monthly over coffee, with an open invitation and no agenda other than to discuss topics of the day, and how they relate to building more social justice through social capital. Members are free to circulate topics, often through articles or stories, that can help stimulate conversation. We always have lively sessions. 

Recently, one of our members shared an article that appeared in the Washington Post that summarized a study conducted by Chapman University that surveyed 25,000 people to learn the number of friends people of different ages, genders, and sexual orientation feel close enough to to expect a certain level of emotional support from.  The researchers posed questions like the number of friends they would expect to celebrate their birthday, or the friends they could discuss their sex life with. 

The results identified a core of between 8 to 10  close friends to fill this role.  So how about you? How many close friends do you have who could play this role for you? More, what can you do to build more deeply based relationship?