Different Types of Friendships In Adulthood

Friendships in adulthood are dynamic, often shifting as life circumstances change, yet each type contributes uniquely

In adulthood, we encounter various types of friendships, each with its own level of closeness, boundaries, and benefits. These relationships can range from acquaintances, who we know slightly and may see occasionally, to lifelong friends, who have been a part of our journey for years. Casual friends often share common interests or hobbies, while work friends benefit from support in the professional environment. Close friends provide emotional intimacy and trust, while best friends offer the deepest levels of connection. Lifelong friends stand as pillars of consistency, often rooted in shared experiences and memories from earlier stages of life. Each type of friendship plays a distinct and valuable role in our emotional well-being and sense of belonging. Friendships in adulthood are dynamic, often shifting as life circumstances change, yet each type contributes uniquely.

Why friendships are Important in Adulthood?

Friendships are essential for emotional, psychological, and physical well-being. They are vital for emotional support, especially during significant life transitions such as parenthood, relocation, or career changes, which are more common during adulthood. These changes can bring feelings of isolation and stress. Friendships are beneficial for emotional regulation during these types of changes. Friendships are essential psychologically because they foster a sense of belonging and stability. Adulthood includes a lot of highs and lows. Friendships contribute significantly to an individual's life by providing a more fulfilling and balanced adult life. Also, research shows that friendship enhances self-esteem and reduces psychological distress across all life stages. Also, physically, researches found that adults with strong social connections often lower stress levels and are linked to better health outcomes. It has been found that better social connections are linked to a lower risk of chronic illnesses. Also, friendships are associated with health behaviors such as better stress management and physical activity (such as walking or jogging as a friend group).

Why is Keeping in Touch with Friendships Hard in Adulthood?

Especially in the United States, the design of grown-up life often leads to isolation rather than connecting with people. In social contexts such as workplaces, neighborhoods, or public spaces like shopping centers, cafés, or pubs, there are still opportunities for maintaining connections with friends and acquaintances, but they are limited. Limited options have contributed to declining social interactions (Putnam, 2000 & McPherson et al., 2006). As mentioned above, reaching out to others and maintaining friendships is generally a positive experience that enhances our overall well-being. However, people may perceive the costs, such as the time or effort of initiating contact, to outweigh the benefits, and these costs can further discourage connection. So, reaching out holds great importance to start new friendships or maintain the old ones and it is a challenging task in a fast-paced adult life.

Reaching out means basically a simple gesture aimed at checking in with someone. This can include sending text messages, calling or sending a small gift, or even sending reels or memes from social media platforms. The essence here is to foster a connection with a loved one. Even though it seems to be a simple act, it is a power generally underestimated or overlooked because gestures like this significantly impact the one who receives them and the relationship between the two parties. According to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, this underestimation is more pronounced when the action taken to reach outcomes is a surprise or when the relationship is not part of a regular communication pattern. These findings emphasize that even small, unexpected acts of connection can have a powerful impact.

This simple act is essential for nurturing different types of friendships we encounter or maintain during adulthood. Despite reaching out to friends to keep in touch and the contributions of friends to our lives, not every friendship is alike. They vary in qualities, such as depth, purpose, and roles in one's life. Especially in adulthood, friendships can take various forms, including acquaintances, casual friends, work friends, close friends, best friends, and lifelong friends. Let us explore these different types of friendships.

Types of Friendships in Adulthood

There are different types of friendships we may encompass in adulthood. These friendships have different levels of closeness or boundaries, but they each have their unique values or benefits:

• Acquaintances

• Casual Friends

• Work Friends

• Close Friends

• Best Friends

• Lifelong Friends

Acquaintances

Acquaintances are people we know slightly. We may chat with acquaintances or even see them occasionally at more significant group events, for example. These relationships tend to be a little more superficial and less intimate.

The benefits of acquaintances include friendly, positive interactions and networking opportunities. Also, these connections can help individuals get new information, ideas, and opportunities that might not be available within their circle of close friends or family.

Research shows that speaking to an acquaintance daily can increase happiness and emotional well-being and decrease feelings of loneliness or isolation. For example, greeting a neighbor or chatting with a barista in your favorite coffee shop can foster a sense of routine. This routine can help you to have emotional stability. No matter how small, positive exchanges such as greeting or smiling at one another activate the brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine and reducing stress. Looking at the big picture, the frequency of these interactions with acquaintances contributes to a sense of social connectedness with a community. This feeling of belonging and normalcy is also critical for mental health.

Casual Friends

Casual friends are a step up from acquaintances. While some people may not spend time with acquaintances, they may spend time with casual friends in specific situations. These can include hobbies (like an art class or working out), social groups (like a book club), or work. Casual friends often overlap with what are called "weak ties." These are people we know but are not very close to. Weak ties are important because they connect us to new ideas, opportunities, and social circles. Friendships like this are formed due to regular interactions that create opportunities for connection. The difference between casual friends and acquaintances is that we actively spend time with them in a particular context. Like acquaintances, casual friends are not the most intimate relationship. While not deeply personal, these connections can still be valuable and meaningful. However, casual friendships are essential for shared interests and hobbies.

These friendships provide spaces for collaboration, learning, and enjoyment. They are also important for social networking because they help you connect with other social groups. Overall, casual friends bring a sense of solidarity and improve engagement in tasks and teamwork.

Works Friends

Work friends are casual friendships but can also become very close and intimate. We often spend much of our day with these friendships at work. Work friendships serve multiple functions, especially in the workplace. They provide emotional support, helping individuals cope with workplace stress and challenges (Clifton, 2022). For example, colleagues who share understanding and empathy can offer practical advice. This can reduce feelings of isolation or frustration. It can support teamwork and work engagement.

Work friendships are essential due to the unique benefits they offer:

• Prevents burnout (Ptacek, 2014)

• Enhances job satisfaction (Morrison & Nolan, 2009)

• Reduces stress (Sias & Cahill, 1998)

• Boosts productivity

Also, work friendships include some challenges, such as role conflict. Friendships at work may lead to complexities in terms of role, especially when personal relationships conflict with professional roles. Also, it can cause distractions while working and affect productivity in a negative way (Hood et al., 2017).

Close Friends

Close friendships are relationships with high levels of trust and intimacy( Rempel et al., 1985). They take time to form. Unlike acquaintances, casual friends, and work friends, close friends play an important role in people’s lives. They provide emotional support and connection in both good times and challenging times (Jones & Vaughan, 1990). These friendships often develop from sharing experiences and memories. They bring consistency, empathy, and loyalty to the individuals (Hartup & Stevens, 1997). Even fMRI studies found that close friends showed more similar brain activity while watching the same video clips (Parkinson et al., 2018). Examples of close friends can be former schoolmates, roommates, or coworkers.

The benefits of close friendships include:

• Higher confidence

• Lower stress

• Outlets for distress

• Emotional support

• A higher sense of belonging

• Lower sense of loneliness

Best Friends

Best friendships are close relationships with some of the highest levels of trust and intimacy. Someone’s best friends are the friends they are closest to and who may know the individual the best. Best friendships are often mutual (e.g., we’re each other’s best friends), but not always. Best friendships are often unique due to their nature; these are the individuals we are closest to, frequently sharing our innermost thoughts, fears, dreams, and joys. These relationships are only formed due to shared experiences or mutual interests that form casual or close friendships. They involve a profound understanding of one another, often rooted in years of shared memory and trust. Best friends can usually predict each other’s reactions, finish each other’s sentences, and provide comfort without needing words.

The benefits of best friendships include many of the same benefits of close friends, along with a deep sense of trust, love, and intimacy.

Lifelong Friends

Lifelong friends are friendships that have existed throughout life. They often have familiar or childhood ties. Lifelong friends are not always our best or closest friends. They are special because of the memories we share. These friends know us from important times in our lives. They bring comfort because they understand our journey. Their presence feels irreplaceable because of the connection we have built over time.

Lifelong friendships offer a unique blend of benefits, which include:

• A sense of belonging

• Stability or consistency

• Lifelong memories

• Shared experiences

How to Make New Friends during Adulthood?

People may struggle to form new friendships during adulthood because of their fast-paced lives or fear of rejection. The key is to take the first step and reach out to others, even if it feels awkward. Building friendships requires effort and regular interactions. Joining groups, attending events, or starting conversations can help you meet new people. Also, showing kindness and being open to communication makes connecting with others easier and forming lasting friendships (Franco, 2022).

Takeaways

• Different types of friendships in adulthood include acquaintances, casual friends, work friends, close friends, best friends, and lifelong friends, each offering unique benefits.

• Acquaintances and casual friends provide opportunities for positive interactions, networking, and shared hobbies but tend to be less intimate.

• Close and best friends bring deeper emotional intimacy, trust, and support, contributing to a sense of belonging and lower stress.

• Lifelong friends offer stability and consistency, often tied to shared experiences and memories throughout life.

References

1. Clifton, J. (2022). The Power of Work Friends. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2022/10/the-power-of-work-friends

2. Ptacek, J. (2014). Exploring Workplace Friendship Through Social Exchange Theory to Reduce Job Stress.

3. Morrison, R. L., & Nolan, T. (2009). I get by with a little help from my friends… at work. Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, 4(1), 41-54.

4. Sias, P. M., & Cahill, D. J. (1998). From coworkers to friends: The development of peer friendships in the workplace. Western Journal of Communication, 62(3), 273–299. https://doi.org/10.1080/10570319809374611

5. Hood, A. C., Cruz, K. S., & Bachrach, D. G. (2017). Conflicts with friends: A multiplex view of friendship and conflict and its association with performance in teams. Journal of Business and Psychology, 32, 73-86

6. Rempel, John K., John G. Holmes, and Mark P. Zanna. "Trust in close relationships." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 49, no. 1 (1985): 95.

7. Jones, D. C., & Vaughan, K. (1990). Close friendships among senior adults. Psychology and Aging, 5(3), 451.

8. Hartup, W. W., & Stevens, N. (1997). Friendships and adaptation in the life course. Psychological bulletin, 121(3), 355.

9. Parkinson, C., Kleinbaum, A. M., & Wheatley, T. (2018). Similar neural responses predict friendship. Nature communications, 9(1), 332.

10. Dr Marisa G Franco, (2022). The Secret to Making Friends As An Adult - Dr. Marisa G. Franco. Dr. Marisa G. Franco. https://drmarisagfranco.com/secrets-to-making-friends-as-an-adult/