And though friendships tend to change as people age, there is some consistency in what people want from them. Still, survey upon survey upon survey shows how important people’s friends are to their happiness. You wouldn’t go months without speaking with or seeing your significant other (hopefully), but you might go that long without contacting a friend. And unlike other voluntary bonds, such as marriages and romantic relationships, they lack a formal structure. Sometimes it’s a panel, if that.”įriendships are unique relationships because unlike family relationships, we choose to enter into them. When Emily Langan, an associate communication professor at Wheaton College, goes to conferences for the International Association of Relationship Researchers, she says, “friendship is the smallest cluster there. This is true in life, and in science, where relationship research tends to focus on couples and families. Romantic partners, parents, children-all these come first. In the hierarchy of relationships, friendships are at the bottom. This article was featured in One Story to Read Today, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a single must-read from The Atlantic, Monday through Friday.
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