I once thought that people with many friends were happier and felt more fulfillment than those with only a few friends.

However, here I am in Grade 12 with probably the least amount of friends I've ever had and I feel completely content.

I am not arguing that people do not need friends. However, searching for a few deeper friendships may bring greater happiness later in life.

Nonetheless, through the years, society's definition of a friend has drastically changed. Some people argue that being friends with someone on Facebook is equivalent to an actual relationship with the person. However, after scrolling down my own Facebook page, I realize just how many "friends" I have never even spoken to.

Sociologists argue that the maximum number of relationships an individual can properly sustain is 150. So, no matter how many Facebook friends you have, chances are you're not friends with most of them at all.

Therefore, when I compare my own account with someone who has more than 1,000 friends on Facebook, I understand how bad the situation has become. I am more than content with my small number of friends. When it comes down to it, I know those people are going to be the ones who stay by me when I need someone.

A few weeks ago, good friends of mine needed help with a small favour. They are musicians, so when their new song came out they wanted to promote

it. All they desired of me was to ask my own friends for help posting the song on their Facebook walls, tumblr or anything that would spread the track.

So I went and sent messages to about 30 friends on Facebook, although the number of replies I received was three. My so-called friends could not even do something as simple as post a song, mostly because it would be considered weird to do so.

However, I do favours like that for people who are almost strangers. It requires so little effort and, at the end of the day, who really cares if you posted a song? People are too focused on their own lives to follow posting trends on Facebook.

It was then that I realized just how reluctant those fair-weather friends are. They cannot be bothered even with the simplest of requests.

Furthermore, people often say that they stand up for kindness. However, when something real is expected, all of a sudden those friends are gone.

For example, at my own school there is a club that is specifically meant to encourage acts of kindness. Nonetheless, when actually asked to help, most of the people in that club had nothing to say.

Therefore, I feel incredibly lucky to have the friends I do, and in no way am I jealous of those people who broadcast how popular they are to the world.

All that matters are the people who are actually there when you need help. Honestly speaking, after high school everything is going to be different. Those shallow friendships that were once held together by convenience are going to be put to the test. My closest friends come from everywhere, and in a lot of ways they are not convenient at all - though in reality, a real friendship is something I would travel any distance for.

I guess that is what I've learned in the last year; happiness is not determined by a set number of relationships, but their quality.

Jana Nickason is a Grade 12 student at Pinetree Secondary.