Friendship research is getting an update – and that's key for dealing with the loneliness epidemic

Roughly 45 percent of new pairs met through mutual friends, and another 41 percent of new pairs met through mutual friends and shared contexts (like classes). The formation of new ties varied with network distance, meaning that individuals who were separated by two intermediaries (that is, they shared neither friends nor classes) were thirty times

Without a doubt, then, friends play a crucial role for many twentysomethings, and they provide lots of good times. With all the attention paid to the urban tribe, however, many twentysomethings have limited themselves to huddling together with the same few people. This is a problem because, while the urban tribe may be the most supportive figures i

Similarity in traits, attitudes, or interests among friends may be a byproduct of social homogamy (e.g., meeting in the neighborhood where people of similar socioeconomic status and political orientation live; McPherson et al., 2001) and further environmental factors influencing friendship formations (e.g., meeting during shared leisure activities

Being a social butterfly flitting from one friendship or activity group to another isn’t the same thing psychologically as having a few close friends with whom you spend most of your time. You are likely not to feel part of a group, and so to feel lonely even though you think you are socially very busy.