<p>Most people can’t get by without a little help from their friends.&nbsp;</p><p>A survey of 2,000 adults looked at what goes into a good gathering, revealing that more than half of Americans want to see their friends at least four times a month (57%).</p><p>A third of people admit they don’t get to see their loved ones as often as they’d like (31%), and 70% wish they could spend more time with them.</p><p>Nearly three in four respondents feel a good night with friends is as healing as a therapy session (74%), and two-thirds feel less stressed when they’re with loved ones.</p><p>Forty-five percent don’t mind whether they go out or stay in to play games (42%), do “make your own” activities (38%) or catch up on TV shows/movies (36%).</p><p>The research conducted by OnePoll for <a href="https://www.mychinet.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">Chinet</a> found that, on average, people hang out with three loved ones at a time, but 24% arrange for more guests.</p><p>Still, two in three agree that the number of people they hang out with doesn’t impact how much fun they have.</p><p>While more people prefer planned gatherings rather than spontaneous ones, 43% enjoy both equally.</p><p>People estimate that half their time with loved ones is spent catching up on life (52%), and a similar percentage shared that they end up having meaningful conversations during these meetups (57%).</p><p>Other topics discussed when catching up include memories (39%), major life changes (37%) and TV shows/movies (36%).</p><p>When it comes to nights in, one in seven respondents said they’re usually the one to host for an average of four hours — although a third of hosts said their nights-in last longer.</p><p>Those who prefer staying indoors view this as beneficial, agreeing that they have more fun because there’s less of a time limit (90%).</p><p>“We all have&nbsp;such busy schedules, it's really important to make time for our friends and loved ones,” said Alexis Guetzlaff, senior product and brand manager for the Chinet® brand. “We want to encourage everyone to carve out a little time for gathering.”</p><p></p><p>Although 69% claim they’ve mastered the art of hosting over the years, 55% admit it’s difficult because of the pressure to get everything right.</p><p>Respondents shared they’ve forgotten to purchase food (29%) and disposable cups (29%) or plates (28%) ahead of time when hosting.</p><p>Even when they have the essentials, they’ve run out of disposable cups (35%) and ice (32%) during their gathering.</p><p>On average, people estimate a gathering costs $152 to host, but 37% end up spending more on essentials, such as soft drinks (43%), disposable plates (39%) and ice (38%).</p><p>“We feel strongly that hosting&nbsp;shouldn’t be overwhelming—&nbsp;we’re all about simplifying it and minimizing clean up so everyone can spend more time with&nbsp;the ones that matter most,” said Guetzlaff.<br></p><p><strong>TOPICS PEOPLE DISCUSS WITH THEIR LOVED ONES WHEN MEETING UP</strong></p><ol><li>Memories - 39%</li><li>Major life changes - 37%</li><li>TV shows/movies - 36%</li><li>Pop culture/celebrities - 33%</li><li>Politics - 33%</li></ol><p><strong>GATHERING ESSENTIALS FOR NIGHTS IN</strong></p><ol><li>Soft drinks - 43%</li><li>Disposable plates - 39%</li><li>Ice - 38%</li><li>Napkins - 38%</li><li>Disposable cups - 37%</li></ol>