Six of the best friends

Everyone needs friends and, like the sitcom of the same name, only six of them are likely to be your best mates.

The average Briton makes and loses 363 friends during their lifetime, according to new research. Some die, others are dumped after a row and some simply drift out of our circle.

A total of 33 remain friends but, of them, only about half-a-dozen can truly be called bosom buddies. The others, from drinking pals to workmates, have to make do with being social friends.

Six out of ten people claim friends are more important than money, career and even family, a poll of 10,000 people found.

Despite better ways of keeping in touch, such as mobile phones and e-mail, busy lifestyles mean it is also easier to lose contact, too - one of our biggest regrets, the study said.

Modern technology has created a new kind of pal - the 'silent friend' who is contacted via text message and e-mail but rarely spoken to directly and hardly ever seen face to face.

Clare Bolton, of Microsoft's online messaging service MSN Messenger, which carried out the study, said: 'With hectic work schedules, physical distance and pressured social lives making friendship get-togethers increasingly difficult, more of us are cultivating "silent friendships" and keeping in touch with our friends often several times a day.'

She added that the sadness of losing touch with people had driven the rise of websites such as Friends Reunited.

Women see social friends roughly every 3.5 days, while men meet theirs every five days. Both sexes see their best friends only once every two months.