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> Maybe my experience of vitiated friendships has had to do with being an only child Probably true. Having siblings teaches people how to enjoy their peers. Th
by cblconfederate 6y ago
> Maybe my experience of vitiated friendships has had to do with being an only child
Probably true. Having siblings teaches people how to enjoy their peers. There 's a social imperative to have friends, but in the end it's about our reward systems. Friends are to be enjoyed, if not, then it s OK not to have any
- JoeAltmaier 6y agoOh yes. I had a 'friend' in high school, an only child. We'd be doing some group activity and look around and "Hey! Where did Kirk go?" Next day, I'd ask. "My TV show was starting". No goodbye, no excuses, just said it like it was a reasonable thing. See, he valued 'friends' as long as they were more entertaining than a TV show. Then he'd simply choose a more entertaining option. Screw the friends; screw social norms; just go stimulate his senses with something else for a while. Totally self-interested in a sense. So only children can certainly be strange.
- globular-toast 6y agoI doubt there is a correlation. I have four siblings but no friends really. My closest siblings are the closest to friends that I have, I think. Other friends, alas, just haven't proved to be worthwhile in the long run. Much like the author, though, I struggle with the definition of a "friend". I have people I am friendly with, but none with whom I share my deepest, darkest secrets or anything like that. I simply have no need or desire for such a person in my life. Others have shared such things with me, though. So maybe I am their friend? I don't know (or care).