What is friendship?

Friendship is a relationship of mutual affectionbetween people.[1] It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an “acquaintance” or an “association”, such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague.

A group of Germans at Allas Sea PoolHelsinki, Finland. Traveling abroad together is a strong indicator of friendship.

In some cultures,[which?] the concept of friendship is restricted to a small number of very deep relationships; in others, such as the U.S. and Canada, a person could have many friends, and perhaps a more intense relationship with one or two people, who may be called good friends or best friends. Other colloquial terms include besties or Best Friends Forever (BFFs). Although there are many forms of friendship, certain features are common to many such bonds, such as choosing to be with one another, enjoying time spent together, and being able to engage in a positive and supportive role to one another.[2]

Sometimes friends are distinguished from family, as in the saying “friends and family”, and sometimes from lovers (e.g., “lovers and friends”), although the line is blurred with friends with benefits. Similarly, being in the friend zonedescribes someone who is restricted from rising from the status of friend to that of lover (see also unrequited love).

Friendship has been studied in academic fields, such as communicationsociologysocial psychologyanthropology, and philosophy. Various academic theories of friendship have been proposed, including social exchange theoryequity theoryrelational dialectics, and attachment styles.

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