據英國《每日郵報》報道，我們在29歲時擁有的朋友最多。

盡管我們最親密的知己依然是學生時代的老朋友，但我們和同事的共同點更多。

研究指出，一起吃午飯是同事間建立友誼的最佳方式之一。四分之一的人說他們只有在和同事一起吃過午餐以后才會考慮將其當作朋友。

對于32%的女人來說，只有一起討論過私事或者感情問題的同事才會成為朋友。而對于39%的男人來說，只有在下班后一起喝過東西的同事才會成為朋友。

It is the age when, with luck, a career is under way and you are still in touch with friends from school or university.

As a result, it is reckoned that 29 years old is the time when we have the biggest circle of friends. through work, social media and old school mates.

Although our closest confidante is still most likely to be an old friend from school days, we actually have more in common with workmates.

A third of us admit having more in common with colleagues than friends and family, while 38 percent have befriended at least 10 people at work.

The research by food supplier Genius Gluten Free found the office is now the most likely place to form relationships due to longer working hours.

High-pressured environments and working with like-minded people also cause people to bond.

And it seems you are likely to have most friends from the office if you work in marketing, who count 40 colleagues as pals.

Meanwhile, chefs and cooks have 33, followed by those who serve in the Armed Forces with 32, artists and designers with 27 and those in human resources have 21.

For the average Brit though, 17 of our 64 friendships will have been formed in the workplace, while we are still close to 14 of our old school, college or university friends.

A further 14 are people we met through clubs, shared interests and other social activities, according to the study of 1,505 UK adults.

Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, founder of Genius Gluten Free, said: 'We wanted to understand how friendships are born in the office.

'Interestingly it appears the long hours and high pressured situations we often find ourselves in at work with colleagues actually help us form strong friendships.'

The study also suggests going for lunch together is one of the best ways for workers to cement a friendship.

Over a quarter say they wouldn’t consider a colleague a friend until they’d shared a lunch break.

Indeed, 39 percent of us admit to gossiping over lunch. But it’s not just office chit-chat that bonds us.

For 32 percent of women, colleagues don’t become friends until they have discussed personal or relationship problems with them.

And for 39 percent of men, a colleague becomes a friend only once they’ve shared a drink together after work.

Communication and relationship expert Dr Harry Witchel said: 'We live in unprecedented times, with the growth of social media ever enhancing our friendship circles and longer working hours blurring the line between friends and colleagues.

'To have on average over 60 friends, with most of these bonds formed in the workplace, would have been unthinkable only 30 years ago.

'But nowadays Brits seem comfortable with ‘blended relationships’ formed in the office outnumbering traditional friendships formed at school, college or university.

'Colleagues are no longer just colleagues.

'They’re doubling up as pals too as we spend more and more time interacting with co-workers in and out of work, and online, sharing gossip and general chitchat.

'Many years ago we wouldn’t have dreamt of divulging such information to anyone other than our best friend.'

The research also found that office rifts can actually help some work friendships blossom.

Sharing a dislike for a colleague or boss helped 13 percent of workers form friendships, with those in sales and charity more likely to bond over rivalry in the workplace.

Meanwhile, half of us insist shared interests outside the workplace, such as music and sport, are important for building meaningful friendships.

The top 5 places we’re most likely to find our 64 friends are:

1. The workplace (17)

2. School or college and Uni (14)

3. Social activities and clubs (14)

4. Social Media (13)

5. Other - such as through mutual friends or family connections (6)

（來源：Daily Mail 編輯：丹妮）