How long does it take for an acquaintance to become a true friend? Scientists provide an answer

True friendship is considered one of the most complex forms of human relationships. It depends on trust, shared experiences, mutual support, and many other factors that are difficult to measure. But can one at least approximately estimate how much time it takes for a close bond to emerge between two individuals?

This is precisely the question that, as Focus.de writes, Professor of Communication Jeffrey Hall from the University of Kansas (USA) tried to answer. In his research, he used two different approaches that allowed him to trace how new acquaintances gradually turn into friendships.

How the study was conducted

In the first part of the study, 355 adults who had recently moved and met new people participated. They were asked to choose one person they had recently met, estimate how many hours they had already spent together, and determine the stage of the relationship — whether it was just an acquaintance, a casual friend, a friend, or a close friend.

To compensate for possible inaccuracies related to participants' memories, the researcher conducted a second part of the study. Over the first nine weeks of university studies, his team observed 112 first-year students.

Surveys were conducted in the third, sixth, and ninth weeks. Students reported with whom among their new acquaintances they spent time, how much time it took, what they talked about, and assessed how close these relationships had become.

What were the results?

Based on the data obtained, the researcher determined the approximate amount of time needed to transition to each subsequent stage of a relationship.

On average, it takes about 40-60 hours to go from acquaintance to casual friendship.

To call someone a friend, approximately 80-100 hours need to be spent together.

And close or best friendships typically form after 200 or more hours of shared time.

However, the study showed that not only the quantity but also how people spend this time matters.

Jeffrey Hall draws attention to the difference between so-called "closed systems" — work, school, or university, where people often find themselves together not by choice — and leisure meetings. Simply being together in an office or auditorium is not enough for true friendship to emerge.

According to the study, informal contacts contribute to true closeness: working together physically, shared hobbies, participation in cultural initiatives, joint sports activities, watching movies, or other activities that people choose voluntarily.

In addition to the total number of hours, the content of conversations is also very important. Sincere conversations, during which people share events from their lives, thoughts, and experiences, contribute most strongly to the development of friendship.

At the same time, a prolonged period of superficial conversations, known as "small talk," can even hinder the development of relationships. If communication long remains at the level of formalities, the likelihood of deep affection arising significantly decreases.

Despite the numerical indicators obtained, the author of the study emphasizes that friendship remains a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. Time limits are more like guidelines, as each person has their own pace of bonding. However, the main conclusion of the scientific work remains unchanged: to create a strong bond, it is not enough to simply meet "your" person — it is necessary to find time to fill these relationships with shared experiences and sincere conversations.

• 1
• 0
• 1
• 1
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 1