Friendship now rivals romance, study finds

The results of a global survey are challenging long-held beliefs about love and loyalty, revealing that for many adults, friendship now stands shoulder to shoulder with romance as a key source of emotional survival.

A global MyIQ survey of 13,487 adults across the US, UK, Europe, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand found that 68 per cent of respondents say a close friendship is just as important to their wellbeing as a romantic partnership. 

Another 44 per cent say they are more likely to turn to a friend than a partner when something significant happens in their life.

The findings do not suggest a rejection of romance. Instead, they point to a redistribution of emotional reliance in modern relationships. Many adults appear to be moving away from placing the full burden of intimacy, daily support, and deep personal disclosure on a single romantic partner.

Other key findings underline the scale of this shift. Some 57 per cent say they have invested more time and energy into maintaining friendships than dating over the past two years, while 46 per cent say they now worry more about losing close friends than remaining single. 

Another 39 per cent say the end of a close friendship was as painful as a romantic breakup. And 61 per cent believe society still treats friendship as less important than it actually is.

Sarah Meyer, managing director of MyIQ, said the findings show how friendship is being assigned a more serious emotional role in adult life.

“Romantic partnership has long been treated as the default centre of adult life,” Meyer said. 

“The data suggests many people are placing trust, intimacy and emotional continuity across more than one relationship. Friendship is not secondary for them. It is one of the relationships through which adult life is held together.”