CAMBRIDGE, MA—Citing data on the isolation and loneliness of Americans, a new study conducted by the Harvard University Department of Psychology confirmed Monday that it becomes much harder to make childhood friends as an adult. “As we age, we tend to get caught up in careers and families, so it becomes more difficult to meet new people with whom you share decades of memories,” said lead researcher Melanie Joplin, outlining surveys that found only two out of 500 people made new friends who recall smashing milk carton on their heads in the lunchroom back in the fourth grade. “The older you get, the less and less likely it becomes that someone will enter your life who has a landline phone number you’ve known by heart for years. You may at times have drinks with coworkers, but it becomes unlikely that they will have slept over at your house 25 years ago and watched your first R-rated movie with you. But it’s important to try to find a community and connect with those who still remember the embarrassing time you peed yourself in front of your crush at recess.” The study also revealed that less than 1% of Americans are able to find freshman college roommates in old age.
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