Up until the twentieth century, humans dealt with just a few dozen people over the course of their lives. We are healthiest when we have a small number of confidants, a slightly larger number of good friends, a larger number of acquaintances, and so on, not dozens and dozens of “friends” online and almost no intimate friendships. In 1985, Americans reported having three close confidants. By 2004, it was down to two, and about one in four say they don’t have anyone at all they can talk to about personal issues.
