A new study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science reveals seven key strategies individuals use to strengthen friendships they consider desirable.
Friendships are a crucial aspect of human life, offering emotional and practical support that enhances well-being and survival. However, not all friendships are equally desirable, and people may actively seek to strengthen bonds with those they consider most valuable.
Menelaos Apostolou and colleagues noted a significant gap in existing research, which has predominantly focused on maintaining friendships rather than the strategies people use to strengthen them. Drawing on an evolutionary framework, the authors hypothesized that these strategies likely center on demonstrating support and trust, key elements that foster deeper and more meaningful connections.
The research involved two complementary studies, recruiting Greek-speaking participants via social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, as well as through word-of-mouth sharing among students and colleagues. Study 1 included 218 participants (117 women and 101 men), while Study 2 involved 434 individuals (257 women, 175 men).
In Study 1, participants responded to an open-ended question: “For various reasons, you are happy with your friendship with someone. Please indicate the actions that you would possibly take to strengthen this friendship.” Responses were collected online using Google Forms and subsequently coded by two independent researchers to identify distinct actions for strengthening friendships. Through iterative comparison and discussion, 54 unique acts were finalized as the foundation for the second study.
Study 2 utilized these 54 acts in a close-ended questionnaire format, where participants rated their likelihood of engaging in each action on a five-point scale. The questionnaire also included the Big Five Inventory to assess personality traits such as agreeableness, openness, extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. Participants’ demographic information, including age and sex, was also collected.
The researchers identified seven overarching strategies from the participants’ ratings of the 54 acts. These strategies included providing support, increasing interaction frequency, maintaining regular communication, giving gifts, showing trust, creating family ties, and showing agreement. Among these, providing support emerged as the most frequently endorsed strategy, reflecting participants’ willingness to assist friends emotionally, materially, or practically in times of need. More frequent interaction, such as planning shared activities, and frequent communication, such as calling or texting, also ranked highly.
The results revealed notable differences based on sex, age, and personality traits. Women were more likely than men to employ all seven strategies, and younger participants were particularly inclined to use trust-building and interaction-focused strategies. Personality played a significant role as well, with agreeableness strongly predicting the likelihood of using support-oriented strategies. Relatedly, openness was associated with a greater tendency to adopt multiple strategies.
One limitation is that participants self-reported their intentions, which might not always reflect actual behavior. Cultural specificity to Greek-speaking populations also limits generalizability.
The research, “Forging Close Friendships: Strategies for Strengthening Friendships People Consider Desirable, and the Role of Personality,” was authored by Menelaos Apostolou.