How do you keep in touch with your friends? Both men and women use text messaging and social media as much or more than phone calls, according to a new survey.

Men’s Health, the largest men’s magazine in the world, and Women’s Health, which reaches 13 million consumers monthly, have partnered with social network MeetMe, the a social network to meet new people and 18^th most trafficked site in the US, to conduct “The Definitive Survey on the State of Friendship in America.”

The 2012 survey of more than 12,000 male and female respondents reflects all aspects of friendship — from how we stay in touch to how many close friends we have, to why friends sometimes “break up.”

The results are featured in the September issue of Men’s Health, and on MensHealth.com and WomensHealth.com.

“Maintaining friendships can be as important as managing your diet or gym schedule in terms of living a long, healthy life,” said Clint Carter, Men’s Health Associate Editor.

“That’s why we were pleased to see that men and women have, on average, nearly five friends, and more than 70% of men and women report having a ‘best’ friend.”

Below are some selected findings from the study:

Staying in Touch
When asked the primary means of staying in touch, men and women reported the following:

Men:

• 73% Text Messages
• 58% Get-Togethers
• 50% Phone Calls
• 43% Social Websites

Women:

• 84% Text Messages
• 57% Social Websites
• 55% Phone Calls
• 51% Get-Togethers

Close friends

• 72% of men and 84% of women report having a ”best” friend
• 4.8 is the average number of close friends for men, while women have an average of 4.3
• 26% of men and 16% of women consider themselves the best-looking of their friends

This survey confirmed that people primarily rely on their mobile devices and social websites to keep in touch with friends.

“That wasn’t a surprise to us since MeetMe blurs the line between online and offline relationships,” said Catherine Cook, VP of Brand Strategy at MeetMe.

The opposite sex
How men and women feel about each other:

• 58% of men and 69% of women have “friended” a person of the opposite sex online just because she or he was hot
• 57% of men and 66% of women are still friends with a former girlfriend or boyfriend
• 62% of men and 53% of women have had post-breakup sex
• 78% of men and 55% of women would sleep with a friend of the opposite sex if given the opportunity

Breaking up with friends:

• 17% of men and 20% of women admit to having a friend they hang out with strictly out of obligation
• 42% of men and 63% of women have “broken up” with a friend

The reasons why friends break up are fairly similar for both men and women:

• 34% of men and 30% of women didn’t have anything in common with their friend anymore
• 28% of men and 24% of women thought that his/her friend was a bad influence
• 39% of men and 49% of women felt as though his/her friend did something unforgivable

Survey Methodology:
The national online survey, which was conducted on behalf of Men’s Health, Women’s Health,and MeetMe, polled 7,639 men and 5,141 women ages 13-72 in May 2012. All figures found from the survey have been tested for statistical significance. For more information, please visit:
http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/better-friend andhttp://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/state-of-friendship.