4 Reasons Why You Should Nurture Your Outer-Circle Friendships

Research shows that your second-tier friendships have potential to be the most fulfilling of all.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | 04 March, 2024

We rely on various friends for different kinds of support—whether it's emotional backing, someone to go clubbing with or a friend who gives great relationship advice—each fills a specific role in our lives. A friend group we often overlook is the second-tier friends. These are the friends you enjoy spending time with but tend not to hang out with one-on-one.

The second-tier friend is the one whose posts and stories you interact with on social media, but don't meet outside the digital world. It's the friend you hang out with at a mutual friend's party. It's the friend of a friend who you meet in group settings. It's the friend you've made at a sports or reading club. It's the friend you eat lunch with at work. These are the casual friends whose company you enjoy but your interactions are limited to certain places.

Building and maintaining friendships can be a Herculean task, especially with the hectic lives we live. Research shows that it takes 30 hours to form casual friendships, while it takes 140 hours to form good friendships. Less time-consuming, second-tier friends become all the more valuable in the face of limited friendship resources.

Casual friends enrich our lives in a few ways. Here are four.

1. Second-Tier Friends Enhance Our Well-Being

Friendships play a key role in our subjective well-being. Despite less interaction and communication, second-tier friends also influence our well-being. A study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that increased social interactions with casual friends improved the happiness of individuals.

We experience a greater feeling of belonging after interacting with our second-tier friends. We generally interact with them while participating in a social activity. The comfort of their presence can act as the calm in the chaos of an otherwise trying social scenario. This can create a sense of belongingness and improved well-being.

2. Second-Tier Friends Facilitate A Relaxing Time

While our close friendships can be a source of relaxation, our second-tier friends can also be the perfect companions to wind down with. A study found that individuals who actively cultivated a broader circle of friends focused primarily on shared fun experiences and building positive relationships. This group of friends differed from those that provided emotional support.

Researchers also observed that these second-tier friends contributed to individuals' fun and enhanced positive feelings. A mutual lack of awareness of life updates generally exists with our second-tier friends. We can simply take a breather without the obligation or compulsion to delve into serious topics.

3. Second-Tier Friends Increase Our Satisfaction With Life

A study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies concluded that second-tier friends contributed to individuals' overall sense of life satisfaction. Individuals' satisfaction increased with an increase in the number of second-tier friends.

Multiple second-tier friends can provide us with a variety of perspectives and an increased sense of belongingness. They can serve as a source of tranquility and make us feel at ease.

4. Second-Tier Friends Provide Valuable Opportunities

Second-tier friends exert influence over people and play a significant role in spreading novel information over social networks. A 2022 study found that casual friends were more likely to transmit job opportunities. They impacted getting new jobs more than close friends.

While we might share the same pool of information as our close friends, our second-tier friends have access to different networks and experiences. They can introduce us to fresh opportunities beyond our immediate purview.

Second-tier friends offer opportunities for personal and professional growth. Fostering and nurturing these friendships is essential for a fulfilling and satisfying life. These connections can not only offer us companionship but also open doors to new experiences and opportunities. Embracing the value of a broader social network can lead us to a more enriched life overall.

People high on the trait of "openness to experience" tend to have wider social circles. Test your level of openness by taking the evidence-based Openness To Experience Scale.

A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.