An indirect measure of the value of friendship for aging men

The purpose of this study was to assess the value of friendship for a group of aging men. From the 25th and the 50th Anniversary Report of the Harvard Class of 1930, 706 and 455 autobiographical sketches respectively, were analyzed for mentions of career, marital relationships, and friendship. The results indicated that married men value friendship significantly less than career or family. There was evidence of an increase in casual friendly relations with more leisure time in old age, but no indication of an increase in close friendships. These results are tempered by evidence of a broadened understanding of what constitutes friendship in adulthood.