I see how the idea is sensible for some, but I’ve never felt satisfied with compartmentalised friendships where I share a small facet of myself with each group.
In addition to diversification being somewhat alienating, there are some benefits of tight-knit groups you’d struggle to replicate in diversified social portfolio:
Lowered social transaction costs—when you divide your social time between fewer people you have more time to learn how best to work with each person
Easier trust coordination—repeated interactions over a long period of time mean you have a lot of past data to evaluate someone’s trustworthiness
Emotional investment—loyalty is rational when each person isn’t a replaceable commodity. Having tough conversations that will cause friction but pay off in the long run is worth it if there’s actually going to be a long run.
I see how the idea is sensible for some, but I’ve never felt satisfied with compartmentalised friendships where I share a small facet of myself with each group.
In addition to diversification being somewhat alienating, there are some benefits of tight-knit groups you’d struggle to replicate in diversified social portfolio:
Lowered social transaction costs—when you divide your social time between fewer people you have more time to learn how best to work with each person
Easier trust coordination—repeated interactions over a long period of time mean you have a lot of past data to evaluate someone’s trustworthiness
Emotional investment—loyalty is rational when each person isn’t a replaceable commodity. Having tough conversations that will cause friction but pay off in the long run is worth it if there’s actually going to be a long run.