People Tend to Choose Friends Just Like Themselves They seek out
like-minded individuals because the interaction is smoother,
researchers say FRIDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDay News) -- In large
and diverse groups, people with similar beliefs, values and
interests tend to stick together, establishing both friendships
and romantic relationships with like-minded people, a new study
suggests. The more choices people have in who they become close
to, the researchers found, the more uniform their social circle
becomes. "People prefer to make friends with others who are
similar to them. But one can only choose among the available
alternatives. A person is far more likely to satisfy their
specific grocery needs at a supermarket than a convenience
store," wrote the Wellesley College and University of Kansas
researchers. "The irony of the situation is that as settings get
more and more diverse, friendships become more homogeneous." In
the study published in Group Processes & Intergroup Relations,
researchers compared friends