SOUL SISTERS
NEWS COPY - WITH INFOGRAPHIC
Girls may just want to have fun - but they take friendship a whole lot more seriously than guys, according to a new study.
Men may say they would lend their best buddy more cash ($2,623 on average, compared to $1,838 for women), but females are prepared to go much further for their BFF.
Seven in ten said they would be prepared to donate a kidney to help save their bestie, compared to six in ten guys.
And it seems like the fairer sex really took Thelma and Louise to their hearts - as more women than men would help their best pal cover up a crime ... ANY crime.
Fifteen per cent said they would help their friend cover their tracks - and the same percentage would expect the act to be reciprocated. Only 10 per cent of guys would do the same.
The friend facts emerged from a survey of 1,000 US adults by creative entertainment provider www.paintnite.com.
"Friendship is such an integral part of people's lives," said Courtney Osgood of Paint Nite. "At our events, we see first-hand just how strong those bonds are, and how important it is for people to set aside that 'bonding' time with their friends."
"About 85% of our customers are attending Paint Nite as a 'girls' night out,' while the other 15% are coming out either celebrating a special occasion or going on a 'date night'. Regardless the reason, what's great about Paint Nite is that it provides the opportunity to let go of the everyday stress, and kick back with a cocktail in one hand, and a paintbrush in another."
"We've seen incredible growth over the past four years - the Paint Nite phenomenon has taken off like wildfire. Right now there are about 5,000 Paint Nite events taking place at local bars and restaurants each month all across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Argentina and the U.K. This just goes to show how important social activities are to our society. The reason Paint Nite was able to scale so quickly is because we saw a huge demand in the need for creative, social activities for adults."
For the eight in ten Americans who have a best friend, many (43 per cent) reckon it's best to never lend your friends any cash.
Trustworthiness is rated as the most important quality (35 per cent), followed by loyalty (33 per cent), and supportiveness (10 per cent).
Women are quicker to claim a close friendship than man, according to the study.
It takes most women just a year to consider someone best friend, compared to three years for a man.
The 10 most important 'friendship factors' were:
1. Sense of humor
2. Family values
3. Moral compass
4. Shared hobbies
5. Similar backgrounds
6. Compatible tastes in music
7. Love of adventure
8. Similar social circles
9. Religion
10. Fitness
"As the world becomes an increasingly digital space, the value of 'unplugging' and connecting with one another to get our hands on something creative for a few hours, is only going to increase and become more of a necessity as opposed to a luxury," said Osgood. "This in mind, we're already working on our next 'nite out,' and look forward to sharing it with besties everywhere soon!"
ENDS