Remember that night under the stars, in the backyard, right after you stole a bottle of booze from dad’s liquor surplus and drank toasts to summer crushes and finally touching the mosquito bite-sized breasts of those summer crushes and you proclaimed while buzzed that the two of you “were going to laugh about this night and talk about it until we’re 80 years old!”?
Well, you’re not going to know that guy when you’re 80. Hell, you might not even be friends with him now. You might even stopped being friends the next day. Don’t worry, it’s not your fault. Allow your one true friend science to explain.
The study evaluated the friendships of 410 preteens starting when the students were in seventh grade.201 of the participants were boys and 209 were girls. The average age of the students was 13.
The study found about half of all the friendships which are formed during any grade in middle school do not last a full academic year.
Researchers also observed that friendships formed in sixth and eighth grade are “highly unstable.” Sixth-grade friendships are usually holdovers from elementary school that often do not survive in middle school while eighth-grade friendships often do not make the transition into high school.
The researchers also stated it’s actually a good thing that you’re not friends with the same people anymore.
“For most of us, life is full of change,” Laursen said. “Circumstances can make it so that even the most compatible of friends can no longer maintain a relationship. Successful adaptation requires adjusting to change and I fear that those who are never forced to make new friends may have some difficulties doing so when times change.”
I think this is all total bullshit. I’m still friends with so-and-so. What was him name? I don’t remember, I was super drunk that night, but yipppeeeee little boobies!
[via USA Today]