Are We Experiencing a Friendship Recession? One Rochester Visionary Is Doing Something About It
For Morgann Thomas, creating opportunities for people to connect has become more than an event concept. It has become part of how she sees the community.
A registered nurse and the visionary behind The Pause NY, Thomas draws from her own lived experiences and observations about how people connect, socialize and build relationships to curate experiences that encourage adults to step outside their routines and make room for something new.
That work led me to a question: When was the last time you made a new friend?
The question has been on my mind since discovering the conversation around the “Friendship Recession” through FriendshipRecession.com, a project that explores research, stories and data about how adults are making and maintaining friendships.
The term isn’t an economic or medical designation. It’s a way of describing a social trend many people may recognize in their own lives: smaller circles, fewer close friendships and fewer opportunities to create new ones.
The numbers are worth considering. According to data compiled by FriendshipRecession.com from the Survey Center on American Life, 17% of Americans reported having no close friends in 2024, compared with 3% in 1990. Nearly half of Americans — 49% — reported having three or fewer close friends, and fewer than half reported making a new friend during the previous year.
So, what do we do about it?
That’s where Thomas caught my attention. Rather than simply talking about the need for connection, she is curating experiences designed to create opportunities for it.
“I think people are craving connection more than they realize. Sometimes, we just need an intentional space that allows us to step outside our normal routines, meet someone new, and experience a real sense of community,” Thomas says.
That philosophy comes to life at her next event, Pause & Pour, taking place Friday, September 18, at 6 p.m. at Center-City Terrace at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Rochester.
The evening includes a live DJ, food options, a cash bar, an artist spotlight and hourly prizes valued at more than $2,500. For tickets to Pause & Pour, search “Pause & Pour” on Eventbrite.
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