<p class="title">Indians are among the world’s fastest in making friends, and on an average have six best friends, a record only marginally broken by the Saudi Arabians.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This is what the just released Friendship Report says based on a global survey of how culture, age and technology shape preferences.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Friendship Report reveals Indians are most ready to fall fast for a friend. In fact, 23% became best friends at “first like.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">On the ‘Best Friends’ list, only Saudi Arabians fared better with 6.6 while the United Kingdom has been ranked lowest with an average of only 2.6.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Released by Snap Inc., the global study interviewed 10,000 people across Australia, France, Germany, India, Malaysia, Saudi<br />Arabia, the UAE, the UK and the US. Ten experts on friendship from around the world contributed to the report to contextualise the data.</p>.<p class="bodytext">So, why are Indians more friendly? The Study found a basis: “In India, friendship is the most celebrated human relationship with a wealth of popular culture - from songs to movies - extolling its influence on our lives.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">But friendship trends differ in the East and West. Amit Desai, a lecturer of anthropology at the London School of Economics explains: In Western Europe and North America, “friendship is about finding people who are like you and bonding over your similarities.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, in many Asian countries, India included, friendship is more relational focusing on seeking out an array of new and different friends who bring alternative but complementary qualities to the relationship.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>Friendship to love</strong></p>.<p class="bodytext">For Indians, friendship is also about love. “Whether in person or online, interactions with friends leave Indians with overwhelmingly positive emotions; ‘loved’ (55% in person versus 43% online), ‘happy’ (48% in person versus 46% online), and ‘supported’ (43% in person versus 36% online) are the three most reported.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">A third of Indians say their best friend is the opposite sex, more than any other country outside of the US. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Desai attributes this to a change in romantic relationships.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“While marriages in urban India have traditionally been arranged by parents, increasingly young people are seeing marriage in romantic terms that include dating, falling in love and having a spouse that is also your friend.”</p>
<p class="title">Indians are among the world’s fastest in making friends, and on an average have six best friends, a record only marginally broken by the Saudi Arabians.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This is what the just released Friendship Report says based on a global survey of how culture, age and technology shape preferences.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Friendship Report reveals Indians are most ready to fall fast for a friend. In fact, 23% became best friends at “first like.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">On the ‘Best Friends’ list, only Saudi Arabians fared better with 6.6 while the United Kingdom has been ranked lowest with an average of only 2.6.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Released by Snap Inc., the global study interviewed 10,000 people across Australia, France, Germany, India, Malaysia, Saudi<br />Arabia, the UAE, the UK and the US. Ten experts on friendship from around the world contributed to the report to contextualise the data.</p>.<p class="bodytext">So, why are Indians more friendly? The Study found a basis: “In India, friendship is the most celebrated human relationship with a wealth of popular culture - from songs to movies - extolling its influence on our lives.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">But friendship trends differ in the East and West. Amit Desai, a lecturer of anthropology at the London School of Economics explains: In Western Europe and North America, “friendship is about finding people who are like you and bonding over your similarities.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, in many Asian countries, India included, friendship is more relational focusing on seeking out an array of new and different friends who bring alternative but complementary qualities to the relationship.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>Friendship to love</strong></p>.<p class="bodytext">For Indians, friendship is also about love. “Whether in person or online, interactions with friends leave Indians with overwhelmingly positive emotions; ‘loved’ (55% in person versus 43% online), ‘happy’ (48% in person versus 46% online), and ‘supported’ (43% in person versus 36% online) are the three most reported.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">A third of Indians say their best friend is the opposite sex, more than any other country outside of the US. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Desai attributes this to a change in romantic relationships.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“While marriages in urban India have traditionally been arranged by parents, increasingly young people are seeing marriage in romantic terms that include dating, falling in love and having a spouse that is also your friend.”</p>