The Friends They Have and the Friends They Want: Why Friendship Aspirations Usually Fail

Lucinda Sherrod, Molly Selover, Gilly Kahn, Goda Kaniušonytė, Brett Laursen, Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Department of Psychology, Mykolas Romeris University

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

Published online on June 16, 2026

Abstract

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Ahead of Print.
Desired friends represent aspirational relationships. But are they realistic? Two longitudinal studies were conducted, each with two waves of data within a single school year. Participants included 340 boys and 385 girls, ages 10–14, from Florida (U.S.) ...