What’s the Perfect Number of Friends?
A Times article posed the question “How Many Friends do I Need”? This depends on the person, but researchers have found that a person usually has about 150 friends. This is the group of friends that one talks to, shares meals with, and “rotates” hanging around with. This group of 150 people can be compared to a network model. Within the group of 150 people, there might be different “friend groups” that one rotates hanging out between. The network may look something like a node that has a set of weak bridges, or local bridges to the different friend group.
The Times article also suggests that you need about 3-5 very close tight friends for “optimal wellbeing”. It is interesting that the amount is 3-5 very close tight friends, and not just one best friend. Within a group of 3-5 friends, there is always the chance of unbalanced triangles coming up. A Buzzfeed article laments the difficulties in being part of a three-way friendship. There can be the case that two of the friends are closer, hanging out more, while the third friend is left out. This can be compared to a triad of one positive and two negative edges. Even though the case of one positive and two negative edges is defined as a “balanced triad”, it does not reflect that the relations between the three friends are sound. I also wonder why having one best friend is not a requirement in having a good social/friend life. It seems a lot easier to have a positive relation with one friend, than try to keep balanced triads within a group of friends.
Social psychologists have also looked at situations where a person has become estranged from their close friends. Psychologists have found that it’s not always best to try to connect with the close friends again, but better to form closer relationships with the distant friends too. This relates to the “Strength of Weak Ties” theory – it’s not always the closest relations that come to a person’s needs. The benefit of reaching out to more distant friends is that they have a network of their own that one can be exposed to, and have the opportunity to make more friends.
http://time.com/3748090/friends-social-health/
https://www.buzzfeed.com/michellerennex/im-queen-bey-thanks?utm_term=.manNoR6Yx#.nfdX5z7pv
http://psychcentral.com/lib/how-many-friends-do-you-need/