It is often said that our friends are the family we choose, and it is true. They know the best and worst of us, and despite this, they choose to accept and like us for who we are. However, friendships take time to develop and grow stronger. While some people are good at making friends and make friends with everyone, others take it longer and only have a few friends. But what makes some people have many friends? What makes some friendships stand the test of time and others not?
A recent study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science analyzed this and identified seven important ways that people strengthen their relationships with friends. The study was conducted by Menelaos Apostolou and his team, who studied how people use different strategies to strengthen their friendships. Their research highlighted seven main strategies that people often use:
1. Provide support
2. Increase interaction
3. Maintain regular communication
4. Give gifts
5. Build trust
6. Promote family connections
7. Express consent
Research also shows that supporting each other, especially during challenging times, is one of the top ways people become close friends. Some other important ways people strengthen their bonds with friends is by staying in touch and planning gatherings together.
However, research also shows that a person’s gender, personality type, and age can affect how they connect with and strengthen connections with their friends. For example, women are more likely to use the above seven strategies in friendships than men. Likewise, young people focus more on building trust and interacting more with others to deepen friendships. In terms of personality type, people who get along well with others often provide support to others as a way of becoming friends with them. And those who are more extroverted and extroverted also use other strategies (the seven above) to connect with friends.
However, the study has some limitations, such as: the people who self-reported the results may not be accurate, and because the study focused more on the Greek-speaking population, it may not reflect a broad range of results.
Which of the seven key strategies do you use to connect with friends? Let us know in the comment box below.
