2023-11-27 14:39:40
Researchers from the Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M), the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and Loyola University suggest that personality does not influence much when choosing social friendship relationships in high school, which seem to be based more in the proximity of contacts.
The study, which was recently published in the journal PNAS“this is a pioneering work in the sense that it uses techniques of machine learning or machine learning (one of the techniques on which artificial intelligence is based) to predict whether there is a relationship between two people (good or bad)”, as indicated Angel Sanchezone of the authors of the study, professor of Mathematics at UC3M and researcher of the Interdisciplinary Group of Complex Systems (GISC).
But, beyond this prediction itself, the article seeks to provide information about “how we build our friendships, by identifying common relationships and not personal characteristics as the main reason for being connected,” in Sánchez’s words.
According to the authors, you can predict quite accurately whether two people are friends or get along badly simply by knowing how many friends and enemies they have in common.
The research offers an analysis of the social relationships of the students of 13 secondary education institutes, including more than 3,000 students and around 60,000 stated positive and negative relationshipsalong with tests of students’ personal traits.
“We can predict with a fair amount of accuracy (90%) whether two people are friends or get along badly simply by knowing how many friends and enemies have in common”, explains the researcher.
“Our results suggest a nucleation mechanism of social relationships based on individual traits, followed by a growth and evolution of the friendship network dominated by a triadic influence (friends of friends of friends)”, says another of the authors of the study, Maria Pereda, from the Department of Organization Engineering, Business Administration and Statistics of the UPM. “This suggests that not only do our close friendships have an effect on us, but even people we know indirectly can affect our behaviors and decisions. “This discovery has exciting implications for the way we understand social dynamics and the role we play in it,” he adds.
The work challenges the common belief that friendships are based on similarity, that is, homosexuality. Now, understanding a new dimension of establishing friendship can have important implications for how we understand and build our emotional bonds, especially in societies where cultural homogeneity and thought can be highly valued, according to the criteria of the authors.
“If people understand that They don’t need to be the same. to be friends, they might be more willing to seek friendships with people who have different backgrounds, interests, and perspectives,” Pereda argues.
“Also, if homophily is not the only important thing when creating new relationships but that we can connect with other people simply because they are friends of our friendsso will increase diversity and, with this, polarization will decrease,” he indicates. Pablo Brañasco-author and professor of Economics at Loyola University.
The article also provides data and results useful for the management of classrooms, institutes and educational centers. For example, those that allow “knowing when students may find themselves in a situation of risk of social exclusionbecause they have few good relationships and many bad relationships,” he says. Jose Antonio Cuestaco-author and professor of Mathematics at UC3M.
This tool could have implications for improving the social climate at work, if employers understand that differences between workers can be beneficial for creativity.
“We detect very well what the social climate of the classrooms, through “a complete photo of how people get along at school and what those relationships are like (which the teachers are sometimes unaware of),” highlights the expert. Thanks to this, “this issue could be reorganized to try to improve the social climate,” he points out. In fact, UC3M collaborates in this line with a company from Zaragoza, Kampal, to produce a software to help high school counselors intervene in situations of vulnerability.
Finally, the research work could also have implications for the creation of policies and practices in place of job. For example, if employers understand that differences between workers can be beneficial for creativity and job performance, could encourage diversity in their teams and work environments. In short, this research can help us build healthier, more productive relationships in our personal and professional lives.
Rights: Creative Commons.
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