RESEARCH_FILE
Jeffrey A. Hall
University of Kansas
Known for:Quantifying how many hours of shared time it takes to form friendships of different depths
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“It's too late to make real friends”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“The hours that make friendship happen weren't seasonal—I just stopped getting them automatically.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Identify one person you see regularly and actually enjoy talking to. Over the next week, simply show up to the same place three times without initiating anything. Note whether they acknowledge you or seem annoyed by your presence.
Key findings
- 2018
Tracking adults who had recently moved and first-year students, friendship developed along a dosage curve: roughly 50 shared hours to move from acquaintance to casual friend, about 90 to friend, and more than 200 to close friend. How many hours does it take to make a friend? ↗
- 2018
Hours alone weren't enough: closeness grew with time spent hanging out, joking around and in meaningful conversation, while hours merely spent together at work or in class did little to turn colleagues into friends. How many hours does it take to make a friend? ↗