[h=3]LONELINESS is on the rise with more than one in eight adults saying they do not have a close friend - an increase on previous years, according to research.[/h]Almost seven million people in the UK - 13 per cent - do not have someone they would call a close chum, up from one in 10 (10 per cent) when the same question was asked in 2014 and 2015, charities Relate and Relationships Scotland say.
The charities' report, You're Not Alone - The Quality of the UK's Social Relationships, also found that almost half (45 per cent) of UK adults felt lonely at least some of the time and almost a fifth (18 per cent) felt lonely often or all of the time.
Based on a survey of more than 5,000 people, the report found that almost one in six (17 per cent) said they never (5 per cent) or rarely (12 per cent) felt loved.
On a positive note, the research found that 83 per cent of people in the UK enjoyed good relationships with their friends.
The most commonly reported number of close friends is two or three, with 18 per cent of people selecting each, while 6 per cent of people feel they have more than 10 close friends.
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ummmmmm, I'm going to leave it at that (for now at least)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/773002/One-in-eight-people-faced-with-loneliness
The charities' report, You're Not Alone - The Quality of the UK's Social Relationships, also found that almost half (45 per cent) of UK adults felt lonely at least some of the time and almost a fifth (18 per cent) felt lonely often or all of the time.
Based on a survey of more than 5,000 people, the report found that almost one in six (17 per cent) said they never (5 per cent) or rarely (12 per cent) felt loved.
On a positive note, the research found that 83 per cent of people in the UK enjoyed good relationships with their friends.
The most commonly reported number of close friends is two or three, with 18 per cent of people selecting each, while 6 per cent of people feel they have more than 10 close friends.
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ummmmmm, I'm going to leave it at that (for now at least)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/773002/One-in-eight-people-faced-with-loneliness
), our colleagues, and like you mentioned, the parents our our kid's friends whom we socialize with 20 years later and we still share our children's lives together. 
