New research from the University of Michigan sheds interesting light about the way we make friends with people of different races. Yes, it’s about finding common ground, but the size of the group is also a factor.
Researchers used data from almost 5,000 high school students across the United States, as well as simulated data. They operated on the widely-held belief that though most look at qualities like age, education, hobbies, personality and common interests, people still tend to choose friends of the same race. What the team found is that larger schools encourage students to spread out and find people within their racial groups that met other friendship requirements. In smaller schools, kids have fewer people to choose from, meaning it’s a lot less likely they’ll find friends with the same interests who are also of the same race.
The study’s authors feel their findings have implications for other social relationships, including dating and marriage. They also posit that the social networking sites encourage the same sort of segregation a large high school might, pushing people further and further apart.