We all know we’re supposed to eat a balanced diet with a combination of different types of foods. A growing body of research suggests the same is true when it comes to social behavior – that a mixture of different types of social interactions, as well as alone time, leads to the greatest well-being. While it sounds logical, that hasn’t been the prevailing advice. “All I had heard for years was this recommendation that we just should be spending more time interacting - both with close friends and family, but also with our weak tie relationships or people that we don't know as much. And I think that misses the picture,” said University of Kansas communications researcher Jeff Hall.
We all know we’re supposed to eat a balanced diet with a combination of different types of foods. A growing body of research suggests the same is true when it comes to social behavior – that a mixture of different types of social interactions, as well as alone time, leads to the greatest well-being. While it sounds logical, that hasn’t been the prevailing advice. “All I had heard for years was this recommendation that we just should be spending more time interacting - both with close friends and