In what ways does social life change as you move into adulthood and as you get older?

The codes used are: changes in frequency and convenience which are defined as how relationships change over time and also the change from more availability for relationships to more convenient relationships. Also dating, marriage, or kids which would be defined as anything involved in marriage, relationships, or relationships set up through children. Then work relationships, which are defined as any relationships set up in accordance with work or proximity to work. Lastly, prior relationships which are previous relationships set up in college or even earlier and how to handle them. Other large factors in the establishment of relationships are work-related relationships. Work plays a large role in the life of an adult and spending so much time in an area ensures the creation of new social relationships. You will create bonds with your coworkers.

Change in frequency and convenience

The answers collected aggregate to a certain set of answers.  It was found that as time goes on and you grow into becoming an adult, you tend to drift away from being friends with a lot of people and shift to a smaller setting of friends. The smaller group of people will have more in common with you and they were not as easy to find as friends were in college. This is due to your life becoming busier, there are also relationships that will need to be created due to sheer convenience and proximity. The demand for your time increases, college relationships are much easier to maintain compared to after college. When you are an adult you need to put more work into maintaining the relationships so you and other people start to value the relationships they invest into. You start to prioritize different relationships depending where in life you are. The kind of social interactions you are seeking are changing as well. People start seeking quality time vs superficial interactions. For the most part, people will hang out with others who have similar relationships status. Single people have friends who are single while couples spend time with other couples. People have fewer friendships of greater value. 

Dating/ marriage/ single 

Having kids seems to have a significant impact on one’s social life. People who have kids prefer to spend their time with other people who have kids. The social circle becomes wider because you make new friends with other parents though kids. A spouse is also a large source of the interaction for your adult life which can include their friends, coworkers, and also their family. Your children will also set up relationships and naturally you will have to interact with their parents. This is seen as another source of creating new relationships. Once you commit into the relationships, the kind of preferred entertainment is changing. Instead of going to the club, people stay and spend weekends at home with their significant other. Your partner can widen your social circle by introducing you to new people. 

Work relationships 

Other large factors in the establishment of relationships are work-related relationships. Work plays a large role in the life of an adult and spending so much time in an area ensures the creation of new social relationships as you create bonds with your coworkers. For the most part,  the presence of work seems to limit your social interactions. Your schedule is less flexible and you have to invest more of your time toward working, which leaves you with less time for socializing. Work life can interfere with your personal life and negatively impact personal relationships. However, the presence of a job can also have a positive effect on the social life. You meet new people and make connections while interacting with people at work. 

Old friendships 

Life long bonds are created in college and even from your childhood. You will have to manage interaction with this final group, which also may be hardest to contact. These could be lost overtime but they also play an important role as time progresses. There are two ways people described the change in the relationships with their old friends. Most of the friendships will slowly fade away. People have new connections and build the families; this pushes old friends farther and further on the priority list. The other way the relationship can develop, is that they become lifelong friends. You have many shared  interests that you can sometimes value the old friendships much more.

This page was developed from interviews with:

Fiona Lovecraft, Larry Huxley, Fred Caldwell, Gustav Ford