Making new friends – at 20, this is still part of everyday life. But at 60, at 80? The psychologist Oliver Huxhold researches when people become lonely. And how they manage to prevent that.
Oliver Huxhold: As life progresses, three things change: we have fewer opportunities to meet new people; we have because of work and Family less time and energy than when you were younger; and finally, as we get older, the motivation to make new friends decreases.
THE TIME: Why the motivation?
Huxhold: As the years go by, we become more selective about ours Friendships and are apparently less open to new things. We are afraid to approach other people; for example because we fear being rejected or think it is not appropriate to approach other people. You think: They’re busy, they have their own lives. This also has a lot to do with your own image of aging.
