How long does it take to make a friend? A researcher in the United States studied this question. He found that people need about 50 hours together to become casual friends. They need about 90 hours to become friends.

To become close friends, they need more than 200 hours. Having fun and chatting together helped the most. So if you are in a new class, don't worry. Friendship takes time.

Starting at a new school can be lonely, but a study from the University of Kansas suggests that the problem may simply be time. The researcher conducted two surveys. In the first, 355 adults who had recently moved described the people they had met and how much time they had spent together. In the second, 112 first-year university students reported on two new acquaintances three times over nine weeks.

The results suggested that it takes about 50 hours to become casual friends, about 90 hours to become friends, and more than 200 hours to become close friends. However, not all time was equal. Time spent having fun or chatting about everyday life was more strongly linked to closeness than time spent in class or at work.

Feeling friendless a month after changing schools is common, and research suggests that the main obstacle may simply be the hours required. A communication researcher at the University of Kansas conducted two studies. In the first, 355 adults who had recently relocated estimated how much time they had spent with new acquaintances and rated each relationship.

In the second, 112 first-year university students reported on two people they had met after starting college, at three points over nine weeks. Based mainly on the first study, the researcher estimated that moving from acquaintance to casual friend takes roughly 50 hours, reaching friendship takes about 90, and becoming close friends requires more than 200.

Shared leisure and everyday conversation were more closely tied to closeness than time spent together at school or work. These figures should be treated as rough guides, however, because they depend on people's memories of how many hours they spent together. The link may also run in both directions: people who already like each other naturally choose to spend more time together. Even so, newcomers can take comfort that close friendships are built gradually.