That's a good point. I have noticed that, as we get older, it's more difficult to make real friends. It could be a product of our society. Independence and autonomy are becoming increasingly more prominent in western culture. In a local grocery store, for example, customers rarely talk to each other aside from asking each other to move so they can get to the box of cereal or liquor. Stand in the line, and you'll see people with their heads bent over their cell phone instead of making light conversation with the people in line. As we get older, people seem to be more focused on immediate family and the occasional old friend. The value of new friendships has declined.

We still have social groups for people with a common interest to come together... such as book clubs or BDSM bars. But even then, I wonder if social groups have declined in the past years. I wonder if more people are turning to the internet to talk about their interests than going out and meeting people. We should do a survey...