Diverse friend groups increase social cohesion and happiness, study finds

A new study of more than 24,000 people finds that although people tend to be attracted to people who are similar to themselves, having a diverse friend group improves happiness and social cohesion.

Led by researchers from the University of Birmingham, Psychological ScienceThe study used data from 24,726 adults across over 10,000 locations in the UK to explore the composition of people’s social networks by age, ethnicity, income and education to understand the impact of homogeneity (the tendency to prefer people who are similar) on social cohesion and subjective well-being.

“As diversity increases around the world, citizens of modern nations have more opportunities than ever to interact with people from different backgrounds and different social characteristics. Despite this, people still tend to be attracted to others who are similar to themselves,” said Dr Miguel Ramos, lead author of the study and Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham.

“Our findings show that despite these trends, people with mixed social networks that include both people who are similar to them and people who are dissimilar to them have higher levels of social cohesion within their neighborhoods, which is closely associated with greater individual well-being.”

The researchers looked at four types of network homogeneity – race, age, income and education – and measured the diversity of respondents’ friend groups within these categories on a scale of 0 to 100%, as well as feelings of life satisfaction and social cohesion.

Researchers found that feelings of social cohesion and life satisfaction are highest when about half (50%) of the friends group members are of different ages, races, incomes, and education. Having a mixed friend group that includes both similar and dissimilar friends makes people feel most connected and happier.

The implications of this research extend beyond individual friendships to the broader social fabric: by embracing diversity and fostering inclusive environments, communities benefit from greater social harmony and collective well-being.

The findings can inform policies and initiatives aimed at promoting harmony and inclusion across different sectors of society, including education, the workplace and the community.

Dr Ramos continued: “These results highlight that embracing diversity plays a key role in strengthening social bonds and enhancing cohesion across society. Having heterogeneous rather than homogeneous social networks is associated with the highest levels of social cohesion, which is an important source of well-being and provides empirical evidence that different groups of people can benefit from living together in harmony, regardless of age, income, race or other characteristics.”

Matt Bennett, professor of social policy at the University of Birmingham and co-author of the study, added: “While interacting with people who share the same characteristics may provide a sense of familiarity and security, our research suggests that embracing diversity is crucial for fostering resilience and adaptability in an ever-changing world.”