Zachary Neal, Michigan State University – Do Weak Social Ties Matter?

We all want strong ties and bonds with other people, but do weak or casual ties also help us?

Zachary Neal, professor of psychology at Michigan State University, takes a look.

Zachary Neal is a professor of psychology at Michigan State University. He is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed articles and four books, and serves as the editor of the journal Global Networks. His research examines how social networks shape all aspects of our lives, and involves developing statistical models that help us collect and analyze data about these networks.

Do Weak Social Ties Matter?

A theory called The Strength of Weak Ties is among the most highly cited in social science. It suggests that your casual acquaintances or weak ties are important because they expose you to new ideas. But, is that right? Are your weak ties any more useful than your closest or strongest relationships?

By simulating the movement of information in social networks, I’ve found that weak ties aren’t uniquely  useful. And neither are strong ties. Instead, when it comes to finding information, what matters is that a social relationship serves as a bridge that connects you to a different part of the social world.

Suppose you really like Picasso. Your closest friends, and even most of your casual acquaintances, like Picasso too. You’re in a social circle of Picasso lovers. But, you also know one person who really likes Monet. Whether you’re life-long friends or you just met, that relationship is a bridge between your Picasso world and their Monet world. It exposes you to a different way of thinking about art.

So, where did the original theory go wrong? It started by assuming that bridging relationships are always going to to be weak ones. But, looking at over 50 real social networks, I found that’s not how our relationships work. Bridging relationships can be weak, casual acquaintances. However, bridging relationships can be strong, close friendships too.

So, what does this mean in practice? If you want to stay in the loop about the latest in the world of art, or politics, or anything really, you don’t need to prioritize relationships with casual acquaintances. Instead, you just need to have some relationships – weak or strong – with a few people who run in different social circles.