Old pals’ act: why we only have so many new best friends

People tend to operate a one-in, one-out policy when it comes to our social network
People tend to operate a one-in, one-out policy when it comes to our social network
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We may assume that our closest friendships will endure but a study reveals that we tend to operate a one-in, one-out policy when it comes to our social network.

The research, which followed British students during their transition from sixth-form college to university or work, found that our capacity for maintaining emotionally close relationships is finite. While people frequently changed the make-up of their “inner circle” of friends — with some contacts falling off the radar entirely — their communication patterns remained remarkably consistent.

Jari Saramäki, of Aalto University in Finland, and an author of the study, said: “You can’t go from having three good friends to all of a sudden having ten good friends.” The study showed that if individuals have three people that