How Many Friends You Have Is Partly in Your Genes
Whether your friends know each other is heritable too, and so is winding up in the middle or on the fringe.
TED · Nicholas Christakis: The hidden influence of social networksYour number of friends is partly inherited. About 46 percent of the differences between people in friend count can be traced to genes, says Nicholas Christakis, who studies social networks.
Some of that is familiar. As Christakis put it, "some people are born shy and some are born gregarious." Less obvious is how you shape the network around you. About 47 percent of the differences in whether a person's friends have met one another is also heritable. Some people bring their pals together and knit a dense web, and others keep their pals apart.
Even your address in the group is partly handed down. About 30 percent of the differences in whether people land at the hub of a network or out toward its fringe can be attributed to genes.
Questions people ask
Does this mean my genes decide how popular I will be?
No. A figure like 46 percent describes differences across a population, not a fixed quota for one person. Genes nudge tendencies such as shyness, talkativeness, and liking introductions, while upbringing, school, work, moves, and chance shape the rest.
How do researchers separate genes from upbringing?
They often compare identical twins, who share nearly all their genes, with fraternal twins, who share about half. If identical pairs are more alike in friend count or network position, even when raised apart, that points to genetic influence. The estimate still depends on the environment studied.
If it is partly inherited, can I still change my social life?
Yes. Heritable does not mean unchangeable. Joining a club, introducing friends to each other, keeping in touch, and showing up regularly can reshape both the size and the structure of your network over time.