Some women finding friends online

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- While Facebook friend counts number in the hundreds for many, true friendships seem to be fewer than ever.

25 percent of women say they have no true confidant. Another 20 percent have just one friend to share their secrets with.

That's almost half of us on the edge of social isolation.

We all want them, but finding people we actually like is not so easy.

Kellie and Nellie gave up their draining relationships and found a lasting BFF with each other.

They found each other through a friend-matching website called girlfriendcircles.com.

Shasta Nelson created girlfriend circles after a divorce and move to a new city left her more than a little lonely.

"I remember walking down the street looking in a window and seeing a group of women laughing in a café and I thought 'I want to know them'," she said.

Research shows women are replacing half their friends every seven years. Not only do you mentally need friends, but they're good for your health too.

A study out of Brigham Young University found that if you feel disconnected, it is worse for your health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day, twice as harmful as being obese and as damaging as being an alcoholic.

Having a deep friendship could improve the chances of your survival by fifty percent.

The first step to friend-timacy is to put yourself out there. Begin online. Girlfriendcircles is $30 for a six month subscription. They have gatherings in 35 cities.

Then it's up to the women to follow up by planning another event or calling for coffee.

As for Kellie and Nellie, they are now confirmed best friends and hope to be for life.

A recent study found those with five friends or fewer had a 40 percent chance of being happy.

People with five to ten friends have a 50 percent chance of being happy.

Having more than ten only increased that happiness to 56 percent, so ten is the optimum number.

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technology news, graciela moreno

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