Soulmate Gem
Photo by Hatice Noğman Pexels Logo Photo: Hatice Noğman

How long does it take to become someone's BFF?

The researchers followed up after four and seven weeks to see what friendship achievements had been unlocked. Results showed it takes about 40 to 60 hours to form a casual friendship, 80 to 100 hours to be upgraded to being a friend, and about 200 hours to become "good friends."

Do soulmates have many things in common?
Do soulmates have many things in common?

"Soulmates will have a basic, shared vision for their future," Shlomo Zalman Bregman, rabbi and matchmaker, tells Bustle. "It's vital that a couple...

Read More »
Can you have 2 soul mates?
Can you have 2 soul mates?

That's right, you can have more than one kind of soulmate. A soulmate is simply someone that your soul recognizes or resonates with. There are...

Read More »

The most effective way of becoming someone's best friend is by spending more time with them, according to new research. You have to clock about 200 hours before you're worthy of the "BFF" title. Of course, no relationship boils down to maths alone, but it could increase your chances. It's a high honour to be called someone's best friend — just look at the way characters in sitcoms like Friends and How I Met Your argue over which of the gang is their best friend. But the criteria for someone fitting the role of "BFF" is hard to define. Until now, that is, as a researcher from the University of Kansas thinks he has cracked the code. In a new paper published in March in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, professor of Communication Studies Jeffrey Hall defined how long it takes to make a friend, and how long it takes for people to typically make their way through the different stages of friendship. In his previous research, he found a person's brain is capable of handling about 150 friendships at once. Hall and his colleague developed an online tool to assess how close people were to their friends. In the first part of the study, they analysed 355 survey responses from adults who had moved within the last six months and were looking for new friends. They were asked to think of someone they had met since moving, and how their friendship had developed. They had to divulge how close they were and how many hours they spent together, as well as where they would rate the relationship in one of four categories: acquaintance, casual friend, friend, or close friend. Through this, the researchers could estimate the number of hours where people can level up to different stages of friendship. In the second part, 112 KU freshmen students were asked about two people they had met since starting school two weeks previously. The researchers followed up after four and seven weeks to see what friendship achievements had been unlocked. Results showed it takes about 40 to 60 hours to form a casual friendship, 80 to 100 hours to be upgraded to being a friend, and about 200 hours to become "good friends." "We have to put that time in," Hall said in a statement. "You can't snap your fingers and make a friend. Maintaining close relationships is the most important work we do in our lives — most people on their deathbeds agree." Young people find it particularly easy to make really good friends, Hall said. In other words, they fall for people hard. "When people transition between stages, they'll double or triple the amount of time they spend with that other person in three weeks' time," he said. "I found freshmen who spent one-third of all waking hours in a month with one good friend." You can't force someone to be friends with you, and of course no relationship can be watered down to numbers alone. But if you want to be best friends with someone, the best way of doing it is to spend more time with them. "Make it a priority to spend time with potential friends," said Hall. "If you are interested in a friendship, switch up the context. If you work together, go to lunch or out for a drink. These things signal to people that you are interested in being friends with them."

What kind of legs do guys like on girls?
What kind of legs do guys like on girls?

Studies have shown that men prefer women with longer-than-average legs and a higher leg-length-to-body ratio. Men's interest in women's legs may...

Read More »
Can a man love two woman at the same time?
Can a man love two woman at the same time?

“You can absolutely fall in love with two people at the same time,” he says. “Walt Whitman was right — you contain multitudes. Someone might bring...

Read More »

What is 😬 on Snapchat?

The 😬 appears next to people you share a mutual best friend with. There is a person you Snapchat with more than anyone else on your friends list. That is your best friend.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Eric McClure . Eric McClure is an editing fellow at wikiHow where he has been editing, researching, and creating content since 2019. A former educator and poet, his work has appeared in Carcinogenic Poetry, Shot Glass Journal, Prairie Margins, and The Rusty Nail. His digital chapbook, The Internet, was also published in TL;DR Magazine. He was the winner of the Paul Carroll award for outstanding achievement in creative writing in 2014, and he was a featured reader at the Poetry Foundation’s Open Door Reading Series in 2015. Eric holds a BA in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and an MEd in secondary education from DePaul University. This article has been viewed 12,583 times.

What happens if you move into a relationship too fast?
What happens if you move into a relationship too fast?

The single most telling thing that seems to derail dating is rushing—moving too fast into something full-speed ahead only to hit a wall rather...

Read More »
Are fire signs romantic?
Are fire signs romantic?

Fire signs are more passionate and loving than others in a relationship. Read on to know what they do differently that make them such good...

Read More »
Where can I find BFF?
Where can I find BFF?

15 Best Friendship Apps To Make Friends in 2023 Friendship App Quick Picks. Meetup. Yubo. Bumble BFF. Hey! VINA. Wink. Nextdoor. Atleto. More items...

Read More »
What birthday has 2 zodiac signs?
What birthday has 2 zodiac signs?

No matter your birth date, there's only one answer -- no one actually has two signs. But if you were born within a few days of the Sun's move from...

Read More »