The stability of transient relationships
Abstract In contrast to long-term relationships, far less is known about the temporal evolution of transient relationships, although these constitute a substantial fraction of people’s communication networks. Previous literature suggests that ratings of relationship emotional intensity decay gradual...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-32206-2 |
| _version_ | 1797845919158239232 |
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| author | Valentín Vergara Hidd Eduardo López Simone Centellegher Sam G. B. Roberts Bruno Lepri Robin I. M. Dunbar |
| author_facet | Valentín Vergara Hidd Eduardo López Simone Centellegher Sam G. B. Roberts Bruno Lepri Robin I. M. Dunbar |
| author_sort | Valentín Vergara Hidd |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In contrast to long-term relationships, far less is known about the temporal evolution of transient relationships, although these constitute a substantial fraction of people’s communication networks. Previous literature suggests that ratings of relationship emotional intensity decay gradually until the relationship ends. Using mobile phone data from three countries (US, UK, and Italy), we demonstrate that the volume of communication between ego and its transient alters does not display such a systematic decay, instead showing a lack of any dominant trends. This means that the communication volume of egos to groups of similar transient alters is stable. We show that alters with longer lifetimes in ego’s network receive more calls, with the lifetime of the relationship being predictable from call volume within the first few weeks of first contact. This is observed across all three countries, which include samples of egos at different life stages. The relation between early call volume and lifetime is consistent with the suggestion that individuals initially engage with a new alter so as to evaluate their potential as a tie in terms of homophily. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:46:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0ea766c3d87043eda289107a06cd76f5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:46:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-0ea766c3d87043eda289107a06cd76f52023-04-16T11:14:02ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-04-0113111410.1038/s41598-023-32206-2The stability of transient relationshipsValentín Vergara Hidd0Eduardo López1Simone Centellegher2Sam G. B. Roberts3Bruno Lepri4Robin I. M. Dunbar5Computational and Data Sciences Department, George Mason UniversityComputational and Data Sciences Department, George Mason UniversityFondazione Bruno Kessler, Mobile and Social Computing LabSchool of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores UniversityFondazione Bruno Kessler, Mobile and Social Computing LabDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordAbstract In contrast to long-term relationships, far less is known about the temporal evolution of transient relationships, although these constitute a substantial fraction of people’s communication networks. Previous literature suggests that ratings of relationship emotional intensity decay gradually until the relationship ends. Using mobile phone data from three countries (US, UK, and Italy), we demonstrate that the volume of communication between ego and its transient alters does not display such a systematic decay, instead showing a lack of any dominant trends. This means that the communication volume of egos to groups of similar transient alters is stable. We show that alters with longer lifetimes in ego’s network receive more calls, with the lifetime of the relationship being predictable from call volume within the first few weeks of first contact. This is observed across all three countries, which include samples of egos at different life stages. The relation between early call volume and lifetime is consistent with the suggestion that individuals initially engage with a new alter so as to evaluate their potential as a tie in terms of homophily.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-32206-2 |
| spellingShingle | Valentín Vergara Hidd Eduardo López Simone Centellegher Sam G. B. Roberts Bruno Lepri Robin I. M. Dunbar The stability of transient relationships Scientific Reports |
| title | The stability of transient relationships |
| title_full | The stability of transient relationships |
| title_fullStr | The stability of transient relationships |
| title_full_unstemmed | The stability of transient relationships |
| title_short | The stability of transient relationships |
| title_sort | stability of transient relationships |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-32206-2 |
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