If You’re Happy With Your Small Circle of Friends, It Reveals THIS About Your Intelligence

By Debbie Strong Updated: March 22, 2016

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friendship

If you enjoy counting your few good friends on one hand, you’re also more likely to be a smart person.

A new study has found that for intelligent people, a few close friends–plus plenty of solo time–leads to greater happiness and personal satisfaction than lots of socializing with big groups. The more frequently smart people socialized with groups of friends, the less satisfied they were with life.

The findings come from two psychologists who challenge the modern view that more social contact always leads to a happier life.

Friendship mature women

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Here’s the reason. The researchers, Satoshi Kanazawa of the London School of Economics and Norman Li of Singapore Management University, reported that since our ancestors lived in groups of 150 people, they relied on social relationships to overcome hunting challenges and to share childrearing duties. And since we’re no longer living in the same circumstances as our ancestors–thanks in part to the wonders of technological advancement–the more intelligent people among us simply have less trouble adapting to our new reality, and therefore rely less on those social networks.

So, next time you find yourself turning down a party invitation in favor of a night at home in your PJs, or maybe a long phone chat with a friend, don’t feel bad; it may simply mean you’re a lot stronger–and smarter–than you knew.

via Dailymail.co.uk

PLUS: Here are photos from the reunion of everyone’s favorite circle of Friends!

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Jennifer Aniston said of the legendary director: “We would do anything for Jim Burrows. He gave us the opportunity of a lifetime, and probably the best 10 years of our acting careers."
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Aniston also told viewers, “From the beginning, we just wanted to hang out with each other. … We really just fell in love and adored each other instantly.”
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Aniston said her favorite episodes were the flashback scenes that showed Courtney Cox as fat Monica, Ross with an afro, and Rachel, Aniston's character, pre-nose job.
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Burrows gave the cast his poker table so they could bond. They played so many games together that their love of poker inspired the episode “The One With All the Poker."
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How could Rachel and Monica afford such a huge (by New York standards, anyway) apartment? It was rent controlled!
David Schwimmer-Courtney Cox

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Originally, Aniston auditioned for the role of Monica, and Cox for Rachel. (Can you even imagine this?) Lisa Kudrow was always earmarked for Phoebe, but she had to audition in FRONT of Burrows.
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The three female stars ate lunch together EVERY DAY for 10 years. They always had the same thing; they called it "Jennifer's salad," because Aniston tossed the greens and veggies.
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One way they showed their love for one another: They always watched the show together during the first few seasons and would give one another suggestions about their acting.
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There were always rumors that the cast had to sign a contract saying they wouldn't sleep with one another. Not true. “I was not asked to sign anything,” Kudrow laughed.
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Burrows liked to compare his cast to other stars in his must-see lineup. He told Matt LeBlanc: "You're Danza!"
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Matthew Perry is in London performing in a play, but in a videotaped introduction, he said: "Please welcome my friends who happen to be in the cast of Friends."
Schwimmer Leblanc

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LeBlanc’s favorite Joey moment was when Joey pretends a puck is coming at his face, right after Ross got hit in the face with a puck. LeBlanc gave props to Burrows for coming up with that bit of improv.