Who moved with you? The companionship of significant others reduces movers’ motivation to make new friends

This research investigated how residential moves with versus without the companionship of significant others would affect people’s motivation to make new friends. Studies 1a and 1b showed that the companionship of significant others predicted fewer new friends among university students who moved within the same country (Study 1a) and to a different country (Study 1b), suggesting that the companionship of significant others was associated with a lower level of motivation to make new friends. In Study 2, the results of an experiment demonstrated that the companionship of a significant other reduced movers’ motivation to make new friends, and this was explained by positive affect but not negative affect. Specifically, the companionship of a significant other, compared with the companionship of an acquaintance or no companionship, led to stronger positive affect, which, in turn, reduced motivation to make new friends. Taken together, these findings call for more nuanced theory on the influence of residential mobility on well-being and social networks. Copyright © 2021 Asian Association of Social Psychology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.