Bringing friendship home: Home interactions as a predictor of closer interpersonal relationships

Abstract

Interactions with friends are, like all social processes, situated within particular physical places that can either constrain or facilitate different types of social behavior. Certain settings may therefore be uniquely beneficial (i.e., relationally restorative), provided they promote self-disclosure, social support, and reciprocal exchange. In this paper, I propose that territories afford such positive interactions. Across a set of three empirical studies, I test whether the frequency of interacting with friends in one's territory is associated with several relevant relationship outcomes: interpersonal closeness, reciprocal knowledge, and trust. A pair of cross-sectional studies among both U.S. adults (Study 1) and undergraduate students (Study 2) find convergent evidence that the frequency of interacting in territories is predictive of greater closeness and knowledge, even when controlling for the frequency of interacting in other places and mediums (e.g., virtually). Furthermore, a longitudinal analysis of undergraduates (Study 3) finds that an increase of interacting in residences during a given week was also associated with higher levels of both closeness and reciprocal knowledge. These studies provide evidence for viewing the home as a potentially valuable social resource for promoting friendship development and maintenance.