Some people like to have a few close friends, while others
prefer a wider social circle that is perhaps less deep. These preferences
reflect people’s personalities and individual circumstances — but is one
approach to social networks “better” than the other? New research suggests that
the optimal social networking strategy depends on socioeconomic conditions.
Researchers Shigehiro Oishi of the University of Virginia
and Selin Kesebir of the London Business School explore the benefits of social
networking strategies in two studies published in Psychological Science, a
journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
“In the age of Facebook, many Americans seem to opt for a
broad, shallow networking strategy. Yet, cross-cultural research has shown that
having many friends is not always viewed positively outside the United States,”
Oishi and Kesebir write.