Have you ever wondered how teenage romances influence friendships? A recent study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships delved into this topic. Researchers found that teenagers in romantic relationships are less likely to form new friendships, yet these relationships don’t necessarily spell the end for existing ones. Understanding these dynamics can offer valuable insights into adolescent development and help educators, parents, and teenagers themselves foster healthier social environments.
Adolescence is a crucial period for social development, where friendships serve as the main stage for learning social and emotional skills. Yet, the fragile nature of these relationships, combined with the burgeoning world of romantic involvement, presents a puzzle: how do these romantic engagements shape the broader social landscape of adolescence?
Researchers embarked on this study to unravel this mystery, propelled by the understanding that while plenty of research has explored how friendships influence romantic relationships, the reverse—how romantic relationships affect friendships—remains less understood.
“We were drawn to this topic because of the intricate association between romantic relationships and adolescent social networks,” said lead author Haoyang Zhang, a PhD candidate in Sociology and Social Data Analytics at Pennsylvania State University.
“Adolescents’ peer relationships are crucial to their development, and existing research suggests that a strong support network can bolster the stability of romantic relationships. However, little work investigates the reverse scenario—the extent to which intimate partnerships affect friendship networks. We aimed to bridge this gap by examining the extent to which involvement in a romantic relationship affects the initiation and ending of adolescent friendships.”
The researchers harnessed data from the Teenage Friends and Lifestyle Study, which tracked adolescent friendships in Glasgow, Scotland, between 1995 and 1997. Focusing on the latter two waves of the survey, the researchers zeroed in on 133 students, aged roughly between 14.8 and 16.3 years. The Teenage Friends and Lifestyle Study was chosen for its rich longitudinal data that tracked the friendships and romantic involvements of adolescents.
Participants were asked to name up to six friends, providing a clear picture of their social networks. Additionally, they reported their romantic relationship status, enabling the researchers to explore the dynamics of friendship formation and dissolution against the backdrop of teenage romance.
The researchers employed sophisticated statistical models, specifically Separable Temporal Exponential Random Graph Models (STERGMs), to analyze the data. This approach allowed for a nuanced examination of how friendships evolve over time, considering both the formation of new ties and the dissolution of existing ones.
The study’s findings paint a fascinating picture of teenage social life. A key discovery was the phenomenon of homophily based on dating status: teenagers were more inclined to form friendships with peers who shared their romantic involvement status. In simpler terms, those dating tended to befriend other daters, while single teens gravitated towards one another. This trend held even when controlling for other factors, such as gender and shared activities, underscoring the significant role of romantic relationships in shaping social circles.
“The key takeaway from our study for the average person is that adolescents’ involvement in a romantic relationship can significantly change their friendship patterns,” Zhang told PsyPost. “First, our findings reveal that teenagers in romantic relationships tend to befriend others who are also in romantic relationships, while those who are not in such a relationship often form friendships with other singles. Second, our results show that young people who are in a romantic relationship are significantly less likely to make new friends over time than those who are single.”
However, the study revealed a twist in the tale of teenage romance and friendship. While being in a romantic relationship made teenagers less likely to forge new friendships, it did not lead to an increased likelihood of existing friendships ending. This suggests that while love might limit the expansion of a teenager’s social horizons, it doesn’t necessarily undermine the friendships they already have.
“Limits to people’s time and emotional capacity could cause conflict between interaction with friends and interactions with a romantic partner, according to previous scholarship,” Zhang explained. “Therefore, one of the unexpected findings was that adolescents in romantic relationships were not more likely to end existing friendships as compared to those who were single. Instead, they were significantly less likely to make new friends. The fact that these young couples were not severing established friendships, but rather withdrawing from the opportunity to form new connections, was an intriguing discovery.”
The study also delved into the structural aspects of social networks, highlighting the roles of reciprocity and transitivity in friendship dynamics. Reciprocity, the mutual acknowledgment of friendship, was found to have a positive effect on the formation of friendships and a negative one on their dissolution. This means that friendships are more likely to begin and less likely to end when they form a mutual pair. Transitivity, the tendency for friends of friends to become friends, also played a significant role, indicating that friendships are more likely to develop and persist within closely knit clusters or triads.
Moreover, the research reaffirmed the significance of shared characteristics and activities, such as gender and leisure interests, in fostering friendships among teenagers. It was observed that adolescents tend to form new friendships with those of the same gender and with whom they share common activities, such as attending church or dance clubs. This homophily extends beyond dating status to include various dimensions of teenagers’ lives, further influencing the formation and maintenance of their social connections.
Despite its insights, the study faces limitations, notably its small sample size and geographical focus on Glasgow, which may restrict the applicability of its findings to broader contexts. Additionally, the data’s age raises questions about its relevance to today’s teenagers, who navigate social relationships in a significantly different technological landscape.
Future research is encouraged to build on these findings, exploring how modern influences like social media impact the interplay between romantic relationships and friendships. Moreover, investigating the underlying reasons why romantic involvement affects friendship formation and dissolution could offer deeper insights into adolescent social development.
“One significant issue that we have yet to explore concerns the underlying mechanisms dictating how relationship status affects friendships,” Zhang said. “Future research may consider examining reasons and processes leading individuals to initiate or terminate friendships based on their dating status. Another caveat is that these findings are based on one sample of adolescents, and more research is needed to extend to other datasets.”
The study, “Romance matters: The role of dating in adolescents’ friendship beginnings and endings“, was authored by Haoyang Zhang and Diane Felmlee.
