Friendships are key to our well-being, but what kind of friendships do we really want? Despite being such a foundational part of the human experience, the science of friendship is still mysterious. Assistant professor of psychology Jessica Ayers is trying to fill in the blanks. While it’s long been assumed that people want either a few close friends or a large network of friendships, her recent research shows that many people need a mix of both friendship types to feel connected. Her research points to new ways we can understand our own friendship styles and gives insight to the loneliness epidemic.

Recommended Reading:

A lot of casual friends, or only a few you’re really close with? New research questions that trade‑off

Love Isn’t Just about Romance. Here’s How Nonromantic Bonds Shape Our Lives

The Evolutionary Origins of Friendship

How Nostalgia Keeps Friendships Alive

E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

Discover something new everyday: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.

Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Emily Makowski, Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices