A Duke University study reports that Americans are becoming less social. The study compared face-to-face interviews with 1467 people in 2004 with a similar number of interviews conducted in 1985.

In 1985, people had on average about 3 confidants they could talk about important matters with. By 2004, that number dropped to about 2. And almost 1 in 4 people say they don’t have anyone to discuss important matters - up 10% from 1985.

“The evidence shows that Americans have fewer confidants and those ties are also more family-based than they used to be,” said Lynn Smith-Lovin, a sociology professor at Duke University and one of the study’s authors.

Possible causes of the shrinking circle of close contacts include an increase in work hours and the influence of Internet communication, the authors said.

That seems to be related to broader trends in human sexuality. US teen sex rates are down (they attribute abstinence programs in the article, but who’s to say it’s not the internet) while Japan is developing a “sexless” culture. Last year, condom manufacturer Durex found that the Japanese came in dead last among 41 nations for only having sex 45 times per year, compared to a global average of 103 times.

Dr. Kunio Kitmura, director of the Japan Family Planning Association says that stress from jobs is a big factor in couples not having sex while others felt their relationship with the opposite sex was “tiresome.” Given that Japan is one of the most workaholic and tech-savvy countries in the world, could this be an increasing trend in countries embracing technology?

It wouldn’t surprise me - particularly given the boom in the porn industry. In the UK last year, 9 million men or 40% of the population used pornographic websites compared with an estimated 2 million in 2000. With porn as easy as a mouse click away, it’s easy to substitute the fantasy world of the internet for true close human contact.