Mental Health

1 in 10 Lack Best Friends

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Aug 25, 2014 06:33 PM EDT

One in ten people are 'friendless," according to a new British study.

Researchers found that 9 percent of people or one in 10 million people don't possess close friends.

That means that around 4.7 million people in the UK don't have best friends, according to Newser.

Researchers said that the latest study, which involved 5,778 people older than 16 in the United Kingdom, may also apply to the United States, according to Today.

"Ten percent [without a best friend], that's a fairly safe bet," Geoffrey Greif, a professor of social work at the University of Maryland, told Today Health.

However, Greif noted that not having a BFF doesn't make people lonely. In fact, many people see their significant other as their best friend, Greif noted.

Researchers also added that time is limited and spending a lot of time on lovers can limit a person's outside friendships.

"Every couple has the same struggle: How much time do I spend by myself as an individual? How much time do I spend with my partner?" he noted. "How do we balance these issues around time? It's usually the couple's friendships that go."

According to The Guardian, the study also revealed that four in five people report being in a good romantic relationship. However, one in four report not being sexually satisfied.

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