Brits require 34 hours of commitment to transition a new acquaintance into a friend, according to a study of more than 2,000 people Each interaction needs to last on average 3 hours and 4 minutes to be mutually beneficial.
The study, commissioned by Fisherman’s Friend, was analysed by Oxford University Professor, Robin Dunbar – famed for formulating Dunbar’s number, a theory revealing we can only hold 150 connections at once. And together they found that, set within the 150 meaningful relationships we typically have at one time, the average Brit currently has only five close “shoulders-to-cry-on” friends.
Two thirds of the nation admit they are actively looking to add to their inner circle, and almost two thirds (58%) claiming they need a good number of friends to feel content. According to the study, a total of 11 interactions are required to transition from acquaintances into friendship, with the average friendship taking 5.5 months to turn into something solid.
