Advantages of having few/no friends?

[Breakfastbaguette]

I don't have many close friends or social events and wondering if anybody else prefers things this way?
I get so down about it frequently and depressed. I work most evenings until 10pm including weekends so it can be tough to attend clubs and groups, hence I'm looking for a new job.

The only current advantage I can think of is that you avoid toxicity from other people which can occur in some friendships. Not sure what else there is though.

People are always looking for new contacts/friends.

How many meet up/social groups are there.
How many apps for friendships.

It seems people are constantly looking for friends all the time.

It's really easy to meet people but whether they turn into.long lasting friendships is another thing.

I don't really have any friends. A few people I may (very) occasionally go for a drink with, but no one I would ring or text with an issue or to share a life event with. As I'm also estranged from my family I used to find this so hard and felt so lonely. Also struggled with the idea that there must be something wrong with me. However, the last few years I have concentrated on my children and husband and thrown myself into hobbies like gardening, DIY, cooking etc. I honestly don't mind anymore. Far more hassle than it's worth. No more anxiety after talking or socialising that I said the wrong thing, never having to come up with an excuse to not spend £300 on a shit hen weekend, etc etc, 😂 of course I still wish I had a close friend / someone to lean on but im actually quite happy without at the moment.

Glad to hear that people have managed to find happiness in spite of it. Just learned most of my workplace are invited to my colleagues' party except about 10% of us which hurts a bit because I chat to her and asked her what she was doing for her 30th. She doesn't owe me am invite I know just hurts a bit, ah well.

You don't have to go to hen do's every other month in your thirties 😉

That's a totally shit thing to do, I would be hurt too

As others have said, not getting sucked into other people's drama. Also, no 'fear of missing out' because you have little to no expectation of being invited to events; you are not worrying what you have done wrong not to be invited to x's 50th or y's hen do.

I don't have many close friends or social events and wondering if anybody else prefers things this way?

I certainly do. I can't be bothered with others to be honest. I do have people I see on a weekly basis when I train, but only see them for the time I'm there and that's it. Perfect.

If you read half the friends threads on here, it's people complaining they aren't getting the "emotional support" from friends. It would do my head in, as their issues really wouldn't interest or worry me.

As always on these threads, the version of ‘friendship’ described by posters is not a version I recognise — my friends are an immeasurable benefit to my life, don’t bring toxicity, judgement, bitchiness or ‘drama’, require ‘falseness’ or compromise, eat up vast amounts of time, require me to act as an unpaid counsellor, spend money I don’t have etc. What is being described on this thread is not friendship, it’s ‘people I know and don’t much like’, so it’s obvious that not having these people in your life would be a good thing.

OP, I think you know yourself that while, as a pp said, there may be advantages to having only a few, ‘high-quality’ friendships, there are no advantages at all to having none, if you would like them. Best wishes to you with changing jobs and freeing up time to explore new friendships.