People are healthier and happier when they have intimates who care about and for them. But they also do better when they know many different people casually.
References
1.
CoserRose Laub. “The Complexity of Roles as a Seedbed of Individual Autonomy.” Pp. 237–62 in CoserLouis A. (ed.), The Idea of Social Structure: Papers in Honor of Robert K. Merton.New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975. Explains why acquaintance variety should lead to a greater sense of control over one's life and to more sophisticated language and more abstract thinking as well.
2.
EricksonBonnie H.“Culture, Class, and Connections.”American Journal of Sociology102 (1996): 217–51. Shows that knowing many kinds of people goes with knowing a lot about many kinds of culture—and how knowing about culture matters at work.
3.
FischerClaude S.To Dwell Among Friends.Berkeley: University of California Press, 1982. Strong ties matter too. This book describes their benefits and the kinds of people who benefit more or less.
4.
GranovetterMark. “The Strength of Weak Ties.”American Journal of Sociology78 (1973): 1360–80. Enormously influential, this essay concerns the advantages of acquaintances both for individuals and for communities.
5.
LinNan. “Social Networks and Status Attainment.”Annual Review of Sociology25 (1999): 467–87. Authoritative review of research on networks and getting a job. It includes references to the Albany, East Germany, and China studies discussed in this article.
6.
LinNanCookKarenBurtRonald S. (eds.). Social Capital: Theory and Research.New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 2001. Includes a number of recent, high quality theoretical discussions and research reports concerning the benefits of social networks, including a chapter on the Toronto security industry study.
7.
WellmanBarry (ed.). Networks in the Global Village.Boulder, Colorado: Westview, 1999. A wide-ranging collection of studies on strong ties and weak ties, around the world and on the Internet.
