RESEARCH_FILE
Cornelia Wrzus
Heidelberg University
Known for:Meta-analytic work on how social networks change with age and life events across the life span
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“We have nothing in common anymore”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“Her answer to what matters isn't a judgment on mine.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Write down one true thing about your life right now—something you haven't mentioned to her—and read it aloud to yourself to hear if it sounds defensive or actual.
Key findings
- 2013
Across 277 studies with 177,635 participants, the global social network increases up to young adulthood and then decreases steadily, with personal and friendship networks shrinking throughout adulthood. Social Network Changes and Life Events Across the Life Span: A Meta-Analysis ↗
- 2013
Normative life events pattern network change: transitions typical of young adulthood, such as marriage, reshape the network's composition, while the family network stays stable in size from adolescence to old age. Social Network Changes and Life Events Across the Life Span: A Meta-Analysis ↗