Friendships are integral to human health and well being, yet researchers know very little about how people make friends. A new study investigated what people prioritize for new friendships.
1:00 PM CDT on August 12, 2026
Is there a natural trade-off between quantity and quality when it comes to the friends in your circle?
Between family, work, chores, and other responsibilities, people often feel left with very little time to connect with friends—let alone to make new ones. With time as a limited resource, people often think they must choose between having a few emotionally close friendships or a lot of friends they’re less invested in.
But our new research published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior suggests people don’t actually pick between having many friends and being emotionally close with them.
